


One Night

by Slaterchest



Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-03-26 00:37:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 44
Words: 64,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3830674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slaterchest/pseuds/Slaterchest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Timothy McGee sneaks his way into a club. That one night changes everything about his life. One mistake and a terrible night set his life on a different path.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the show NCIS or characters. Also posted at FF.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

One

"I don't know how to tell you this, Timothy. I'll just be blunt. I ran the tests three times. You are not suffering from the flu or any other ailments. You are without a doubt pregnant," the doctor said.

Timothy McGee sat there dumbfounded. This couldn't be happening. He never did anything bad. He came home from school and did his homework. At sixteen he had no life outside of academia. He was working hard so he could graduate early and go to college. He had to get away from his dad.

His dad. He was going to kill him when he found out. Tim had always know he was born with the ability to get pregnant and carry children. After a talk with his dad three years ago, he was told that it would never happen. That he was never going to be with a man, Tim had no choice but to agree.

But then he had gone and made a stupid mistake. It was horrific and stupid.

Four months ago he had gotten lonely, and horny. He was sixteen after all.

He had heard about a club that even with a bad fake I.D. you could get in. His was very believable though. Not that he like to brag but he was good with a computer. Soon he was no longer Timothy McGee age sixteen, but Russell Davis age twenty-two.

It was there he had met the man of his dreams. The man was taller than him but not by much. Tim guessed he was around six foot. He had beautiful blue eyes, even though they were glaring at him. He was fit too, older than he thought was right for him but gorgeous.

"Hi, my name's Russell," he introduced himself.

"No, it's not. Whatever your I.D. says we both know it's a lie. You're not older than sixteen," the man snapped.

"I-I'm twenty-two," he said shakily.

"And I'm twenty-three," the man said sarcastically.

"Hey, cutie," a deep voice said.

Tim looked over to see a man roughly sixty, leering at him. Unlike the hot fortyish guy that was yelling at him, this guy looked like Santa Claus. That was too old and weird for Tim.

"You know this is just a kid, right? Are you a perv or something?" hunky guy said to Santa.

He had known his baby face would give him away. The few extra pounds on his body seemed to make him look even younger. Tim had always been attracted to older guys but that guy was way off limits. In truth both of them were but hunky guy would be worth the awkward next morning. He used to have a crush on one of his dad's friend's, following him around like a love-sick puppy. It only ended when the man propositioned him. He ran away with his tail between his legs.

But not tonight. In five months, he would be seventeen and a high school graduate. This was his chance to have fun while still in high school. He wanted stories to talk about when he got old and boring. This one was going to be amazing, he could just feel it.

Not wanting the hunky, wet-blanket to ruin his night and have him kicked out he walked away. Slipping in between the people filling up the dance floor. He needed use to restroom first then he would try out his I.D. with the bartender.

Just as he was opening the door someone's hand landed on his shoulder.

"Damn, baby, you look hot. Do you know what's the only thing missing from that outfit?"

Tim turned and looked at the man grabbing his shoulder. The man looked to be about mid-thirties with shaggy blonde hair and a straggly beard. He also looked like he hadn't showered in a month.

"What?" he asked politely. He just wanted to man to leave him alone though.

"Me inside you," the man said crudely.

"Umm… No thanks. I really need to get back to my friends," he lied, stepping back from the creepy guy.

Before he could get away a gun was shoved into his side and he was dragged out the back door. He tried to scream but he couldn't make his voice work.

The rest of the night lived in his nightmares. The van he was forced into. The gag that was shoved in his mouth and the rope that was used when he tried to fight the man off of him. His virginity being stolen from him in a brutal way. Staring blankly at the inside of the windowless van.

After what felt like forever the man just stopped. He then threw Tim's clothes outside the van and pushed Tim out with them. The van took off into the night after that. There was no one in the parking lot. It wasn't the parking lot for the club but the shop next door.

Tim quickly got dressed and rushed back to the club parking lot. He ignored a guy vomiting beside his car. He got into his car and left. He was too ashamed to tell anybody about that night. He was sure they would think it was his fault. That he wanted that man to do those things to him. He didn't though, and now he just wanted to forget.

"Timothy," the doctor said bringing him out of his thoughts.

"You can't tell my dad, right?" he asked.

"This stays between us. But I implore you to tell your family. You need help with this."

"No, I don't."

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Dr. Lane asked, kindly.

"I can't get rid of it. Even with who the father is, it's still half mine."

"What do you mean by that? Remember you can tell me anything," Dr. Lane said cautiously.

Tim knew that was a lie. If he told the truth, Dr. Lane would call the police. Having an underage teenager tell him that he was raped in a van was very different from just accidentally getting pregnant by another teenager.

"Just my ex-boyfriend," he lied.

The doctor nodded and grabbed his prescription pad. "I'm prescribing you some prenatal vitamins. I would like for you to tell your parents about the pregnancy. You are going to need help and someone to lean on."

"I'll think about it. But I'm going to graduate next month. Then I'm off to M.I.T. No one will need to know. I've got a scholarship, so I'll get a job and take care of the baby by myself."

"You are missing something here," the doctor said.

"What's that?"

"You're on your father's insurance. He will notice that he has to pay for a birth."

"I'll think of something," he said. He already had thought of what he was going to do. Again he was pretty good with a computer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

I don't own NCIS or any of the characters, except Oscar.

"Timmy, do you want to come down for dinner?" his mother asked gently.

He had been shut up in his room since the doctor told him the news. At first he was so sure how he felt. But as the day went on he felt more and more disconnected from his body. He felt hatred for the baby he was carrying. Then he felt hatred at himself for having those feelings.

The one thing he knew for sure was that his dad could never know. That meant he wouldn't be able to keep the baby. He realized he didn't feel that upset about that. He had just thought it was the right thing to do.

The nightmares were still waking him up at night. He was sure the throwing up he was still doing had nothing to do with the pregnancy.

"No," he told her as he shut his door again.

Getting on his computer he found a website that specialized in finding homes for babies from males. There was still a stigma with male pregnancy. They were looked on as sub-humans.

After looking at some of the testimonials from adoptive parents and birth parents he bookmarked it. He still had five months to think about it.

Soon there was someone banging on his door. He didn't have to ask who it was.

"Go away, Sarah!" he yelled.

He needed to get out. But he would have to ask his mother to use her car. He had it the night of the attack. But hadn't taken the car since then, he just used to bus.

Grabbing his phone he called to one person he wanted to talk too.

"Hello," a cheery voice answered.

"Can you come get me?" he asked without greeting.

"Of course, I'll meet you down the street," Kate said before disconnecting.

His parents couldn't stand his best friend, Kate. They thought she was a bad influence. If they had only known that she was the one that tried to talk him out of going that night. He had told her she was being dramatic. He wished now that he would have listened to her. She wasn't allowed inside the house.

He dressed in his baggiest sweats and put on his shoes. He then quietly snuck downstairs. He wasn't grounded or anything he just hated lying to his mom, and telling her he was going with Kate was not good.

The backdoor was only a few feet away before he was busted.

"Where are you going?" Sarah said, smirking. She knew she had busted him.

"Out," he snapped quietly. He hoped to be out the door before she ran off to tell their mom.

He was out the door before she could tell on him. Quickly, he jogged down the street. Kate only lived two streets over.

He crossed onto Lexington Street to see her ugly lime green bug. She stuck her dark-haired head out and smiled.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day," she said, smiling.

They went to Oscar's house because his mom worked late. Oscar was a hacker friend of his, while Kate was more of a kick your ass kind of friend.

He laid down on the couch in the basement. Kate was flirting with Oscar. Poor Oscar thought he really had a chance. Kate just liked to flirt. They seemed to notice that he was upset because they were playing up the goofiness.

"We should get married," Kate told Oscar.

Kate was beautiful but short, they used to tease her about it until she decked Lee Graves'. Oscar was even taller than Tim but was skinny, really skinny. His face was pockmarked from a bad case of acne.

"We should, I will stay home with the kids," Oscar said giving her a wink.

"Only if you give birth to them, my love," he cooed.

Tim felt his stomach roll and his emotions hit him. He didn't realize he was crying until they both ran to him. They were kneeling in front of the couch trying to comfort him.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, worriedly.

"I just don't feel well." Not a complete lie.

He hadn't told either of them about that night. When Kate had asked, he told her he decided not to go. Oscar wasn't really good with emotions, he was raised by a single mom who worked all the time. He told Tim once that he thought emotions were for the weak, much like Tim's own father. Tim did feel weak at the moment.

"What's going on with you? You haven't been yourself lately. You didn't even laugh when Oscar's mom caught him with that train magazine."

"I'm saying for the last time, I wasn't doing anything. Who masturbates while looking at a train magazine?" Oscar asked, indignant.

Kate laughed. "Train conductors?"

"Train enthusiasts?" Tim added.

It was the first time he really felt like laughing in months. His friends were the best. It was one of the reasons he hated skipping grades. Oscar and Kate were only just finishing their junior year.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Let's watch a movie," Kate said after it was apparent he didn't want to talk about it. She then turned the television on.

She turned to a station that played a movie after most people eat dinner. The station called it the After Dinner Theatre. Oscar sat on the floor in front of the couch and Kate sat at Tim's feet. She lifted his legs and let them rest on her legs. Before long he was nodding off. For the first time in months he felt safe again.

Tim woke up when a news report sounded off. The screen had a banner at the bottom with a number to call.

"We are asking for the public's help. The man we are looking for is around six-four with shaggy blonde hair and beard. He was last seen driving a black van cargo van," the police spokesperson said. On the screen was a blurry video still.

"What's going on?" he asked Kate. He had only heard the last part but his panic was kicking in seeing even a blurry picture of the monster from his dreams.

"Some guy attacking men and killing some of them. They didn't go into details but they asked for anyone with any information to call the hotline." She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

All he could do was stare at the number before it disappeared and they continued with the news.

It couldn't be the same guy, could it? Yes, that answer he knew. It was the same guy, he felt it in his heart. He had been a coward and others had been hurt and even killed. He couldn't let that continue. It sounded like they knew a lot about the man. But he knew where every one of the man's tattoos were and what they looked like. Anything could help. But first he needed to do something he said he would never do.

"Kate?"

"Yeah."

"I need you to take me home, I've got to talk to my dad."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

An hour later, Tim found himself in a more desperate position. The talk with his father broke down when he blurted out he was pregnant. Before he could get another word out, he was hit. Hard. He had fallen into the desk chair, it was the only thing that kept him from falling to the ground.

He held back the tears when his father gave him ten minutes to pack his things. He guessed he was lucky that he had a place to go. His mother had wanted to call her sister from Martinsville, but he didn't need a home. He just needed a place to stay for one more month. He knew Oscar and his mom were barely getting by. But Kate's parents had money, they were just too busy with work to notice her much. Which was one of the reasons she was a little wild.

Slinging his duffle over his shoulder he started walking. He had his laptop, clothes and his school work. His mother also snuck him some snacks before he left. She wasn't brave enough to openly disagree with her husband. He understood that, he wasn't brave enough to fight back either. Which was why he believed he was in this position to begin with.

If he would have fought when the man was trying to get him out of the door. If he have fought harder when the man had him in the van. If he would have went straight to the police. There were so many things he could have done. But now he was running out of options.

The walk to Kate's didn't take too long. His back was just starting to ache a little from carrying his heavy bags. He hadn't even called her, to tell her he was on his way.

Her car wasn't in the driveway but her dad's car was. At least he wouldn't have to wait for Kate to get home. Walking to the front door he rang the doorbell.

After a moment, Mr. Todd came to the door. He was a tall man with brown hair graying at the temples. Kate was the youngest of the Todd children. She had an older sister, Rachel and three older brothers: Kevin, Lee, and Ryan. All of them were out of the house by now. Lee and Ryan were in college. Kevin was married with a baby on the way. He wasn't so sure what Rachel was up to, she was always in school, it seemed.

"Uh, oh. I'm guessing you had a fallout with your old man," Mr. Todd said, sadly. Tim nodded.

"Well, come on in. You can put your stuff in Lee and Ryan's room."

Tim followed Mr. Todd into the house. He didn't need to be shown where the room was so Mr. Todd went back to his office. Tim carried his bags up to the sometimes shared room of the two youngest Todd boys.

Opening the door he had to hold back the gasp. It was obvious that no one had been in the room in a while. The room smelled disgusting, like body odor and rotten food. For the past couple of months some smells were more unforgiving. His mother's perfume was at the top of the list. Well, it was until he walked into the locker room masquerading as a bedroom.

Holding his breath, he ran over to the window to open it. Once fresh air was moving through stale room he could breathe again. He then went about, picking up trash and hunting for the rotten food. After a couple close calls on his lunch from earlier returning, he had the room livable. Changing the bed sheets on Lee's bed was next on the list.

Going to the hallway closet he found sheets for the bed.

"What are you doing here?" the deep voiced asked.

Perfect. It was all he needed for Ryan to make an appearance. Maybe Tim was lucky, and he was just here to wash his clothes. Except, Tim was never lucky and Ryan's school was over one hundred miles away. Much too far to just wash clothes and leave.

"Your dad said I could stay." Mr. Todd wasn't one for getting into anyone's business. He raised his kids to make their own choices.

"Stay in Caitlin's room. I'm not sharing a room with you," Ryan snarled. He walked to his room and slammed the door.

In truth he felt more comfortable sleeping in Kate's room anyway. It was then he realized his stuff was still in Ryan's room.

Sucking in a breath, he knocked on the door. "I need my stuff," he yelled through the door.

The door was opened and all his stuff was thrown out, including his laptop bag.

"Hey!" he shouted but the door was slammed again.

Collecting his things he made his way back to Kate's room. Unlike her brothers' room, it was clean. She always made sure it smelled nice and airy. He loved her room. It was really an extension of herself. His dad made sure his room was as devoid of as much character as possible.

Sitting down in her desk chair, he pulled out his cell phone. There was one last thing he had to do tonight. Just because things didn't work out with his dad didn't make the killer go away. He fiddled with the phone before he dialed the number that he had already saved. It rang once before he hung up; his hands were shaking.

He thought maybe there would be a place to send tips by email. After getting out his laptop he found what he was looking for. He gave a detailed description of what happened. He even described the man's tattoos. In a moment of courage he left his phone number. He wanted to help them catch the man. He still had nightmares that the man came back for him.

After closing the laptop he settled on Kate's bed. He knew she was supposed to be out with other friends, she had told him when she dropped him off. That meant she'd be home around midnight or sometime in the morning.

Finally, he went to the bathroom to change. There was one more altercation with Ryan on his way back. At least he knew Ryan. The hostility might have made him uneasy with anyone else. But Ryan was different, he was a jerk but he was an overprotective jerk. He had defended Tim quite a few times, but then he would turn around and call him weak. But he wasn't arguing that fact anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

I don't own anything. Not the show NCIS or the Characters.

Kate came home around two in the morning. To her own credit, she didn't bug him about why he was there. He was lucky enough that her bed was a double and not a single. He was able to fall back to sleep after she climbed in bed.

She had known he was gay, her whole family did. Her house and Oscar's were the only place he felt he could be honest.

The banging on the door woke them both up. With bleary eyes, he sat up. Kate mumbled and covered her head with her pillow. He stood on shaky legs and opened the door.

Ryan was standing outside the door with a scowl on his face. He really didn't want to deal with Ryan this morning.

"What do you want?" he asked tiredly.

"Your mom's downstairs," Ryan said, then turned and walked back to his room.

Tim didn't know what to think. His mom would never go against his father. He knew that, but a little part of him hoped she picked him for once. He hoped his mom put HIM before his dad. But once he was downstairs, he knew that had just been a dream.

She was standing stiffly beside the front door. A man he had never seen beside her. He was a tall man with a tanned complexion. Handsome, if you went for the cocky type. Just looking at the man he could tell he was a bit full of himself. From the designer suit he wore to his leather shoes. Who the hell was this guy?

His mother noticed him stopped on the stairs. "Timothy, this is Detective DiNozzo. He is with Baltimore PD." his mother said primly.

"Baltimore? That's pretty far away. What are you doing in Virginia?" It confused him why a cop from Maryland was there.

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" Detective DiNozzo asked.

"Umm… Sure, this way." He watched his mom sneak out the door. He walked into the dining room followed by the detective. The Todd's never used it, it would mean they were in the same place for more than two minutes.

The dining room had two doors, closing it off from the other rooms. One led to the kitchen, and the other, the hallway.

"Why don't we sit down," Detective DiNozzo said, kindly.

"I'd prefer to stay standing." Tim watched the detective's jaw clench.

"Your choice." The man laid a file down on the table. "You sent a tip to an e-mail address that is designed to find the man attacking and killing men leaving clubs."

Tim cut him off, "Do you really think they are connected?"

"The attacks have been in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. The man doesn't care if we have his DNA." The detective pulled a sheet of paper out of the file and handed it to him. "Can you confirm this was the email you sent?" Tim nodded after looking it over.

"If the crime happened across state lines and in D.C., why isn't the FBI involved?" he asked.

"They are, so are NCIS, and every police department on the east coast."

"Why is NCIS on it?" That surprised him.

"One of the victims was a Private First Class. I'd like to ask you some questions, is that alright?"

Tim thought about it, something was bugging him though. "Why are you here? If the FBI and NCIS are on the case along with the local police departments, why are you here? Couldn't they have a local cop take my statement or even an agent?"

The man stiffened up. "Well, you see, I'm a few weeks away from starting CITP." CITP stood for Criminal Investigator Training Program. It's the basic training course after an applicant's application was accepted. It all seemed to click at once. Tim felt his anger growing.

"I am not a training exercise," he said coolly.

"I didn't say you were." The man backtracked but Tim knew he was right. The man shouldn't even be here alone.

"Get out!" he screamed.

"Listen, I was told to come and talk to you. I am not some trainee, I am a detective with the Baltimore PD." He softened his voice then. "I just want to help you, please. Tell me what happened and maybe we can catch this creep."

Tim thought about it, he really did want to help. With that on his mind he went over everything. A few times Mrs. Todd came in to make sure he was okay. It was nice that they cared about him. They may not be the most involved parents but they were kind people.

At one time he was jealous of Kate's family. But the thought of almost being ignored most of the time set him straight. He even liked most of Kate's siblings. The only one he could live without was Ryan. Ryan wasn't as popular as his brothers and sisters so he took it out on people. Mostly Tim when he saw him.

The detective left after his statement, telling him that he was really helpful. He didn't know really what to believe but he had done what he had promised. The detective told him that it would be beneficial to see a therapist. Tim lied and told him he would think about it. Telling the detective was hard enough, talking about it all the time wouldn't help.

He had to work out where he was going to be living. He had gotten a summer intern position at Keller and Balen Security. He was going to work with their cyber security, mostly being their lackey. But he was excited about all he would learn. It was the career he had always wanted. He wanted to use his knowledge with computers help people. But he didn't know if it was still going to happen.

He would be seven months at the end of the internship. They were going to provide housing and food. All he had to do was work hard and learn. He was pretty sure he could cover up the pregnancy until he started at MIT.

The big question was, who was going to take the baby. Besides looking at the website, he had no idea what to do. He knew he couldn't take care of the baby. He also knew that his parents would not take the baby while he finished school.

Just as he curled up on Kate's bed, his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered without looking.

"Timothy," his father's harsh voice said.

He winced at the tone. "Yes?"

"I've made arrangements for the baby. Your mother has found a good home for it. You'll take the semester off and have the thing. You'll start school for the winter semester. No one has to know about your abomination."

Timothy gritted his teeth at his father's words but held his tongue. The one thing you did not do was talk back to John McGee.

"Where is the baby going to go?" he asked.

His father had a lot of pull. He knew if he didn't say the right thing his scholarship and internship were history. His father didn't like to be disobeyed.

"Your mother knows a lady from D.C. She and her husband are good people. They aren't bothered by taking a baby from a freak. The man is even an agent for NCIS."

That made Tim pause. "Who?"

"You don't need to know anyone's name. It will be a closed adoption. You'll be able to put this ugly mess behind you." His father's voice was a little strained.

"You know?" he asked, confused. He hadn't gotten the chance to tell his dad the whole truth.

"Of course I know. I found out when that man came to the house. It only took a couple a questions to find out why a detective from Baltimore was looking for you. You put yourself in that position, you have no one to blame but yourself."

His ears rang after his father disconnected. His father had said the thing that had been keeping him up at night. He heard in his head everything his father had ever said about him. Stupid. Immature. Slow. Fat. A loser. It all came back in a torrent of emotion. His life was never his own. It would never be his own. He didn't even get to choose where his baby went, if he wanted to go to school and follow his dreams. He had to make a decision about where his priorities were. He wanted what was best for the baby. And with all his anger and youth, it was obvious it wasn't with him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

I don't own anything from NCIS or the characters.

Five months later:

"It's a girl." the doctor said.

Tim closed his eyes. He hadn't known the baby was a girl. His father thought knowing would make him attached.

"Can I hold her?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Timothy, that's not a good idea," his mother said.

She had come in right before the birth. He knew it was only to make sure he followed the rules his dad had laid down. His dad played every ace in his hand. He threatened everything Tim had been working on.

He was supposed to start MIT after winter break. His internship went off without a hitch. People just thought he was overweight. It worked and he had gotten his recommendation from Miles Keller himself. He was then ordered home until the baby was born.

His father wouldn't let him go back to the Todd household. His parents' house felt more like a prison than it ever had before. He wasn't allowed outside except for his doctor's appointments. He hadn't seen friends either. His mother won one fight though. It was a fight he wished she wouldn't have. She wanted him to seek help from a therapist.

Now he could say that it was helping. He was dead-set against it at first but now looked forward to the sessions, and not only because he got out of the house.

But the biggest news so far was the capture of one Brandon Stacks. The man had tripped up and tried to attack a Krav Maga instructor. The instructor took the man that had been terrorizing other men down.

There was plenty of evidence on the man. It turned out he was a construction worker that traveled a lot. His attacks coincided with times he was away from his wife and kids. The man had been married for six years and had two small children already.

The only one in law enforcement who knew about the baby being Brandon Stacks was Agent Tony DiNozzo. The man had just finished his CITP a week prior. He was still very new to the job but insisted that Tim call him Agent DiNozzo. In the months since meeting the man he had grown respect for the man.

He had found out about the man's ambition. It did turn out that he wasn't technically supposed to come to his house. At first it made Tim angry but the man's genuine concern for his wellbeing helped. He didn't want to get Tony into trouble. Tony wanted to catch the killer and make a name for himself. But he realized how stupid it was to come to Tim's house.

He was glad Tony apologized. It showed his character. The one thing though Tim wished was for Tony to stop texting him names movies to watch. He never really cared for movies before but Tony made watching them into homework.

The baby's cry pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked over to the nurse holding the baby swaddled in a white blanket. The nurse looked torn on what to do.

"Ma'am, if he wants to hold the baby it's his right. The baby is his until he signs the adoption papers," the nurse said gently.

He sat up straighter in the bed and opened his arms. If this was the only time he could see his daughter he wanted it to last. The nurse gently laid the small newborn in his arms. He looked at her red-flushed face looking for resemblance. No matter how he looked he didn't see Brandon Stacks. All he saw a perfect baby girl. He wanted to keep her; to make a life for her. But he had no money, no job, he didn't even have anyone to help him.

He had only talked to Kate on the phone but she was busy with school. Oscar hadn't talked to him since he found out about the pregnancy. Kate stayed by him though, when she could.

He didn't realize he was crying until he heard his mother's voice.

"This is too hard on you, Timothy. Let Angela take the baby back to the nursery." Angela was the kind nurse who had just gotten on shift before the birth.

"Please, just a little longer," he begged his mother. He already knew that he would end up giving her up.

He wanted the best for her, and being homeless with him wouldn't be for the best.

"Timothy," his mother warned.

"Can you take her back to the nursery?" he asked the nurse.

He took one long last look at his baby girl before giving her away. He knew he shouldn't give her a name but in his head, she was Ansley. She was beautiful and was going to have a great life. He had to believe he was doing the right thing. Even though it was killing him on the inside.

After the baby was taken away he made sure his mother left. He wanted nothing to do with any of his family at the moment. If they would have offered to help, he may have been able to keep her. It would have been his choice to keep her or not. That was taken away from him, just like her conception. He shouldn't be so scared of his family.

He knew one thing for sure though, after he left he wouldn't be back. As soon as school started he was never coming back. Sarah had her own phone so he could talk to her but not his parents. Because of them he didn't even know where the baby was going.

Maybe he wouldn't sign the adoption papers. Maybe to would take her far away. Maybe for once things would work out. But he knew better. He knew he would sign the papers, he was still a scared little boy. But he wouldn't be forever. One day he was going to stand up to his father. He just hoped when his daughter grew up she didn't hate him for being weak.

"Jethro," a short, stout woman of about fifty said.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked up at her. He was seated in the waiting room at his lawyer's office. Months ago, his wife first brought up adopting a child. Stephanie was his fourth wife. He knew better to have a child to save a marriage. But he couldn't help it, he wanted a child again.

Losing his first wife Shannon was heartbreaking, but losing Kelly, his daughter, was devastating.

Stephanie and he had started the adoption process. About a month ago she decided it wasn't for her. She didn't want to be tied down with a baby. After all the hoops they jumped through he felt upset. He had even started making the baby a cradle.

He contacted his lawyer about the baby. He couldn't find it in him to stop the adoption. So instead of adopting as a married couple, he was adopting as a single parent. He thought the biological parents would stop the adoption but that didn't happen.

"Jethro," the woman repeated. He shook his head to clear it.

It was then he noticed the woman, Kathy Logan, wasn't alone. Beside her stood a younger woman, and she was holding a baby's car seat.

"Are you ready to meet your daughter?" Kathy said, smiling.

He nodded his head; it was everything he could do not to snatch the baby away. The younger woman brought the baby over and he got his first look at the baby.

"What's her name?" the young woman asked.

He had thought long and hard about her name. All of the names flew out the window when he looked into her face. "Anna. Anna Gibbs."

The next chapter is going to be some years later.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

Five years later.

"It's not fair," Anna said firmly.

Jethro was close to just giving in, but that wasn't good. He looked down at his scowling daughter. Her sandy blonde hair up in a ponytail with wisps falling out. They had been at war for the last ten minutes. His daughter had a stubborn streak a mile wide. But he couldn't back down on this. He had given in the last time.

He turned and looked at the couch where the disgustingly fat cat was hacking up a hairball. He had given in to the tantrum for the stupid cat. He wasn't going to budge on a dog.

"No dog."

She looked at him with a pout, turned and marched upstairs.

He had no idea where she got her dramatics…That was wrong he did know. She was no longer allowed to hang out with DiNozzo. Abby and Ducky were good influences on her but not him. Anna had loved Ziva and was heartbroken when she left. She hadn't gotten attached Bishop yet.

The slamming of the four year-old's door made the cat jump.

"This is all your fault," he told the cat. "If you would have just chased the stick we wouldn't be in this mess."

Just then his phone rang. Sighing he answered, "Gibbs."

"Hey boss, can I bring a couple of friends to Anna's party."

"The party is in four hours, DiNozzo."

"I know but my friend and his fiancé are in town. He's interviewing at NCIS on Monday. Cyber Crimes. The fiancé is kind of an ass but Tim's good. Tomorrow is always really hard on him. I just wanted to get him out." Jethro could tell the man was holding something back but let it go.

His daughter loved being the center of attention. "Fine," he ground out. He really didn't like having strangers near his daughter.

"Who was that?" his daughter asked accusingly.

She must have come back down while he was on the phone.

"DiNozzo."

"Is he coming to my party?" she asked as her face lit up.

Her tantrums usually only lasted a few minutes. She didn't have them very often but when she did, it was loud.

"Yes."

"Uncle Duck?" Ducky hated that she called him Duck.

"Of course."

"Abby?"

"Yes."

"Autopsy gremlin?"

"Yes, Palmer is coming. You need to call him by his name though." Tony's influence again.

She rolled her eyes and let out a huff. "Can I wear my new dress?"

"Yes." She squealed and ran upstairs to change.

He wouldn't let her wear the dress out. It looked like a dress for Goth children. That was probably exactly what it was. Abby had taken her out shopping last week for a party outfit. They had bought a cute t-shirt with a unicorn, also a pair of purple jeans. He was lucky, she hated the color pink. Black was her favorite according to her. Then Abby took her to one of her shops.

The dress looked like a princess dress except it was black with blood red arms and belt. He also knew Abby would come over and put her hair up. He called a stop to it when they tried to talk him into hair dye. She was perfect the way she was, she didn't need to change anything. He understood why she wanted to copy Abby so much. Abby was fun and a woman.

Today she was still four, tomorrow was her birthday. But he thought it was easier to get everyone out on a Saturday than a Sunday. Tomorrow he would have a five year old.

"Daddy, come zip me up," she screamed from the top of the stairs.

He smiled and headed to her. No matter how many times he told her buttons weren't zipped up, she wouldn't listen. Stubborn.

"Why do we have to go to this thing?" Ryan Todd snapped.

Tim bit back to urge to tell him to just leave. They both knew the relationship they once had, had already run its course. They were great when it was still a long distance relationship. But once they moved in together it all changed.

He had forgotten what a jerk Ryan could be. Ryan thought he was too much of a pansy, at least that's what he told Tim on a daily basis. When Ryan came with Kate to visit him three years ago, things had progressed. But he had been stupid to think the man had changed so much. He was also starting to think that Ryan was cheating on him.

That's why when they got back home he planned to move out. He didn't want to cause a scene. When Tony had asked him to go to his boss's daughter's birthday party he refused. Being around children Ansley's age was hard enough. But Tony had talked him into it. It didn't hurt that he mentioned there would be others from NCIS there. He really wanted to get the job. Tony had helped him out as much as he could.

He was completely independent now. He also hadn't talked his father in almost five years. He left home and never looked back. The only person there he missed was his daughter, but she wasn't there anymore.

Years ago he had hacked the adoption records. He knew that Ansley was now Anna. She was the daughter of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He knew the man was in NCIS but stopped looking after that. He didn't want to dig too deep. If he did, he would have gone to just see her. He was sure he couldn't let her go again.

"If you don't want to come, then don't," he finally told Ryan.

He was tired of listening to Ryan's negative view of the world. He always had something bad to say. He also thought the therapy sessions that Tim went to were stupid. He needed someone to talk to about the attack, Ansley/Anna, his family and everything in between. Ryan never wanted to talk to him about those things. Kate would listen but he didn't want to bother her. She was on the fast track to going into the Secret Service. She had been so excited when she told him.

Just as Tim got to the car Ryan joined him. "Let's go," Ryan snapped. Perfect.

The drive to the Tony's boss's house took about twenty minutes. He had bought a present when Tony talked him into the party. It was something he would have gotten his daughter. It was a book he had loved as a child. Rise of the Sun Bearer. It was a story about a boy who broke the Sun. In truth he didn't, it was a child's story about nuclear winter. Thinking about it now maybe it was a little much for a five year old. He had loved it at five though.

Ryan followed Tim into the quaint two-story house. After knocking on the door he was greeting by a smiling older man.

"Hello," he said nervously.

"Oh, you must be friends of Tony," the man said, he had a British accent.

"Yes, are you his boss?" Tony never told him his boss's name.

"Oh no, my dear boy, I'm Dr. Donald Mallard but most call me Ducky. Tony is inside talking to Abigail."

They followed the jovial man inside. He looked around expecting to see balloons and decorations. It didn't really look like a child's birthday. There were no children running around. He had lots of kids at his parties. It wasn't because the kids liked him; it was because his father's social standing.

He heard Tony's laugh and followed the sound. In the kitchen Tony was standing talking to a woman in black. Her black hair was in pigtails. She was wearing black boots, grey leggings and a black tutu. Her top was a black vest over a striped shirt. It was then he noticed the child beside her. She was in a black dress, with red on it, dark red. Her dark blonde hair was in pigtails just like the older woman.

The girl looked familiar somehow. It was probably just because she looked a lot like how he thought Ansley would look like.

"McGeek," Tony yelled, happily. Tim groaned. McGeek was one of the better nicknames Tony had for him.

"Tony," he greeted him. He felt Ryan tense up behind him. He didn't like Tim being friends with Tony. Tim ignored him.

"Hey, I'm glad you could make it. This is Abby and this little Goth angel is Ms. Anna Gibbs. She will be five whole years old tomorrow."

A buzzing sound started ringing in his ears at the new development. Anna Gibbs. Ansley. Anna. His mind was working overtime. He looked at the little girl again. This time everything clicked. She looked familiar because she looked like Sarah at that age with lighter hair.

"Boss," Tony called. "I'd like you to meet Tim McGee and his fiancé Ryan Todd. Guys this is Agent L.J. Gibbs."

L.J. Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Agent for NCIS. Father of Anna Gibbs. Tim looked up to see the man and felt his world shift. He seen the same face hundreds of times while dreaming. He saw the hunky man who tried to protect him over and over again in his head. Now he was seeing him again. But this time he wasn't in Tim's head. He was standing there, in person. Tim watched as the man picked his daughter up. But she wasn't his daughter; she was this man's daughter now.

Everyone was looking at him with concern. He must have looked like how he felt. Agent Gibbs looked at him like he was trying to remember something.

The room started to feel like it was closing in on him. He needed to get out. Now. He had been tricked, he knew it. Tony had never told him his boss's name. But Tim had told him the name of the man who adopted his baby. True that wasn't until a few weeks ago. He wanted to know the chances of running into the man.

He didn't stop until he got to the car. Ryan had just gotten in when he floored it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

Sorry about this chapter, it's not the best. I re-wrote it three times. This is the best one to get from A to C. Thank you for all your kind reviews.

Tim slammed on the brakes of the car. He had been within a few feet from his daughter, and he ran away like a coward. That wasn't supposed to happen. He knew he was a stranger to her. But he would know. That would be enough, it had to be.

He pulled into a gas station to turn around. Ryan was looking equally parts pissed-off and confused. He had been smart enough to keep his mouth shut… for once. Within minutes, they were back in front of the quaint house.

Ryan was sputtering behind him when he got out of the car, but Tim paid him little attention. His mind was only on one person at the moment, and that WASN'T Ryan.

Tony was standing outside the house, looking relieved to see Tim come back.

Ryan couldn't believe his luck. He was on his way to convincing Tim that maybe NCIS wasn't for him. He knew Tim had some sort of saving-the-world idea. But now he wanted to see the girl. When he had heard the name of the man and girl, he was as shocked as Tim. But how the man could want to see anything related to Stacks was beyond him. Just thinking about the man turned his stomach.

It wasn't until three years ago, that Ryan found out that Tim was a victim. Because of his age and who his father was, he disappeared from everything related to case. No one thought Ryan needed to know. But Ryan had his own secret. One he was desperate to keep quiet from everyone.

Tony watched while Tim introduced himself to everyone. He apologized for running out, citing temporary illness. Gibbs seemed to be watching Tim closely. So he wasn't surprised when Gibbs cornered him later.

"I've seen this kid before." Gibbs said.

"You have?" That shocked Tony. He thought the adoption was completely closed. Maybe Tim had followed Gibbs so he could see Anna. But that couldn't be right, he had no idea. Tim was too freaked out.

"Yeah, years ago, I was questioning a bartender at some club. I overheard some guy hitting on someone. When I looked up, I knew the kid didn't belong there. He couldn't have even been seventeen yet.

That caused Tony to freeze. Tim had told him about the only time he had ever gone to a club. The man had never been to one since or even a bar. That had to mean that he met Tim the night of the attack.

Over the years, Tim had mentioned a man who seemed like he was going to chase him out of the club. That must have been Gibbs. If Gibbs found out how close he was to Stacks, it would upset him that he was so close to the psycho, and let him slip between his fingers.

Gibbs looked at Tony's face and realized something was up.

"What's going on, DiNozzo?"

Just then a shout sounded from the kitchen. He left Tony and walked back to where everyone was.

In the kitchen, he saw his colleagues talking to one another. The shout looked like it came from Abby, who was complaining about the cake.

"Where's Anna?" he asked, when he noticed his daughter missing.

Gibbs felt his heart beating out of control when he noticed the two strangers were gone also.

He rushed into the living room, he stopped in the tracks.

On the couch Timothy McGee was seated. In his lap was Anna, she seemed enthralled with the story he was reading. He looked between his daughter and the young man. The picture they made was somehow right. Neither Anna nor Tim seemed to notice the audience they had garnered.

"Oh, Jethro, I think you have some competition," Ducky said lightly.

He felt Tony tense up beside him. There was something going on. It was there but he couldn't pinpoint it. He watched as Tim finished the story and Anna put her little arm around the man's neck.

"Did you bring me another book?" she asked him.

Gibbs was thrown a little bit. She wasn't really into books that much. Once she was big enough she told him they were too silly.

"Not this time but next time I'll bring another."

Anna squealed with delight before jumping up and running to him.

"Daddy, did you hear? McGeek is going to bring me another book," Anna said excitedly.

Tim glared at Tony, who was laughing loudly.

Gibbs leaned down and picked Anna up. "It's not nice to call people names, his name is Tim."

He really didn't have her call adults Mister or Miss because she was around them more than kids. They were her family, so it was odd to use titles.

"Sorry Tim," she said with sad eyes.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt my feelings." The young man gave Anna a big smile. It was a little funny. He had her same goofy smile.

"Do you have any children, Tim?" Gibbs asked, trying get to know the young man that his daughter was enamored with.

"I had a daughter." the man said looking at Anna longingly.

Tim didn't realize he was projecting his feelings. But it became obvious when everyone looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, Tim," Abby said from the doorway.

"Oh no," he said when he figured out they misunderstood. "She didn't pass away, I had to give her up for adoption." Then out of habit he talked a little about her, too much. "She'll be five tomorrow."

He should have realized that everyone would figure it out. Ever since he had come back to the house he hadn't be away from Anna once. He saw the exact second the man had put all the pieces together in his head.

It was like someone had yelled "murderer". One minute he was talking, the next his was stomach against the wall. Gibbs had his face shoved into the wall… arms twisted behind his back.

"Get her out of here," Gibbs yelled at somebody.

Tim could hear the little girl crying, trying to understand what was happening.

"Boss, let him go. He had no idea until he got here. It was me, it was all me," Tony said, it sounded like he was panicking.

Tim tuned everyone out. As soon as he was released, he made his way for the door. The sooner he left the faster Anna's life would be back to normal. He didn't want to see her just to have her life turned upside down. He just wanted the happy child that was there minutes ago, not the one that was pulled out crying.

Ryan was waiting inside the car; he had thrown a fit earlier and left. Without waiting for Tony or anyone else to come after him he started the car. Maybe he really should cancel the interview. Ryan had been on him to move to Denver with him in a few months, it was looking more attractive.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

I don't own the show NCIS or any characters.

True crime stories are the only thing that I've watched lately. Sorry if this is a little dark.

Gibbs was still seething even hours later. DiNozzo had explained most of everything to him. But Gibbs could tell he was still hiding something else. When he asked Tony if the other man was her other father, the man clammed up. That told him all he needed to know. He didn't care who the young man was, he was not getting Anna.

She had been his since the day she was born. He was the one that got up every two hours. He was the one that had to deal with colic. He had loved that little girl even before he laid eyes on her. His whole life revolved around her.

He even put up with Rosalynn, the babysitter, for her. The woman wouldn't take no for an answer. She had been trying to become the next Mrs. Gibbs since day one. She wasn't even a redhead.

The party had quickly broke up after the incident. The only one left was DiNozzo, who was watching some movie with Anna. Because of DiNozzo, she had an unnatural love of movies. Movies that were much beyond her age level.

Gibbs was down in his basement working on Anna's Christmas present. She had begged for a princess bed. She had saw it on a movie, and that was that. There would be no other bed that would do. She didn't cry and throw a fit for one. No, what she did was worse. She talked about it. She talked about it all the freaking time.

But that wasn't why he was hiding in the basement. No, he just had to get away from Tony and Anna. Tony didn't understand why he refused to call Tim. Anna didn't understand why he had thrown Tim against a wall. Tony may have known the man for five years but he didn't. And he will be damned if he would allow a stranger, who just happens to be her biological parent, near her. It was too big of a risk. The man could be waiting for Gibbs to drop his guard and take off with her. No. He couldn't give the man a chance to do it.

"Hey, boss," DiNozzo called from the top of the stairs.

"What?"

"I need to leave. Tim just called, he said Ryan left him. I'm glad but Tim is all messed up right now."

Ryan. That was the name of the other one. He hadn't said anything while they were there. But Gibbs didn't like the way he sneered at everything. Especially when he was looking at Anna, it was like the man hated the little girl.

Tim waited for Tony in front of the hotel. Ryan had turned in the keycard and given Tim the choice: Leave now with him and never see her again, or stay and lose him. Even with what he told himself he couldn't leave. He would chose Anna over anyone, alive or dead. She was the one thing that kept him going. He may not have seen her, or knew where she was. But her just being alive and out there made him want to make the world better for her.

Ryan had caused a big scene and threw Tim's stuff outside. He was used to Ryan's temper, it was getting worse. What was odd was that before Ryan found out about Brandon Stacks, he wanted nothing to do with Tim. Then, just like magic, he started flirting with him.

Three years ago, when the flirting started, he was suspicious. Ryan had never shown any interest. But Tim was lonely and shy with new people. He could be friends with them, but having a sexual relationship was different. Ryan was the second person he was ever with. The first one he chose to be with. But it always seemed that Ryan wasn't there for a relationship. It was more like he was waiting for something… something that only he knew about.

"Daddy, can you read me my new story?" Anna asked as he stepped into the living room.

"Sure," he answered.

Anna ran into her bedroom to get her book. She was excited to hear her favorite book again. The books that everyone else had gotten her were about dolls or animals. She liked animals but only the ones that looked like real animals. When they looked like cartoons she thought they were too silly.

Tim, the man who brought her the book, understood. He told her that he didn't like books like that, either. When he started to read the new book to her, she loved it. She felt sad for the little boy in the story. His dad wasn't very nice. Her dad was very nice. At least to her. He could be a little mean to others, but never to her, unless she was being a brat. Jeffery, her babysitter's son, always called her a brat. But she didn't think she was. Sometimes she just knew better than everyone else.

She ran back downstairs with her book in her hand. Once she got to the bottom step, she stopped. The man from earlier was back, standing in the doorway. She turned and ran back upstairs. She didn't like him. She knew he didn't like her because he looked at her with a mean face.

Ryan looked at the man who was raising Tim's daughter. This was going to be good, he thought. After he left the hotel, he realized he had the perfect way to keep Tim away from his daughter. Jethro Gibbs was obviously very protective of her. All he had to do was tell the truth… bent just a little.

"What do you what?" Gibbs asked the man. He thought his name was Randy or something like that.

"I just wanted to warn you about Tim." The man's face was hard to read, even for Gibbs.

"What about him?" he asked curiously.

"Tim didn't want to give her up for adoption in the first place. It was after his parents basically forced him into it that he did. He had the choice; college and support or the baby, with no help from them or college to get somewhere in life. I wouldn't trust him around her. He'll grab her and run the first chance he gets."

The man was saying everything that Gibbs had thought. But the feeling was back but this time it felt wrong. There was something about the man the led him to believe he was lying.

"What about you? Are you going to try and take her from me?" Gibbs asked.

It took a minute for Ryan to realize what he meant. "I'm not the other father. I didn't get with Tim until three years ago. I do know who the other father is, though."

Gibbs didn't know what to make of the sinister smile the man had. He decided he didn't want to know from him.

"I don't really-

"Brandon Stacks," the man cut him off.

Gibbs only knew about one Brandon Stacks. He couldn't mean the same one. There was no way his daughter was the child of a rapist and serial killer.

"Yep, almost six years ago, a sixteen year old Tim walked into the Dynamo Club. Turned out he was just what Brandon was looking for. How do you think Tony knows Tim. He was a victim."

The man was practically laughing when he finished talking. Gibbs was using all the restraint he possessed not to hurt the man. Finally, he just slammed the door in his face.

Lola Stacks watched the agent slamming the door from afar. When Ryan told her where Brandon's daughter was she came right away. It had been three years since they found out about the child. Brandon was very displeased when he found out his child was given up for adoption. Perhaps displeased is an understatement. He was also pissed off at Ryan for not telling them about the baby.

Years ago, when she was a senior in high school and Ryan was a freshman, she had made a mistake. She had already started dating Brandon. But Ryan was always tagging along after her. Brandon traveled a lot with his job but visited her because of the subdivision they were building.

When Brandon first saw Ryan, he wanted him. There was just one thing he didn't count on. Ryan was a sneaky devil. He was able to protect himself from Brandon for years. But Brandon was becoming more obsessive with Brandon. He had expressed interest in experimenting with Ryan. By that time Ryan was a freshman in college. By then he had someone else to give to Brandon. Poor Timothy never saw it coming. How would he have known that it was all a set up?

Ryan's stupid sister had told him where the boy would be. They never told Ryan what exactly had happened. He actually he thought they had just got the boy a little drunk, and he was a willing participant. He had told them everything he knew about the boy. Mostly how the boy froze up when he was terrified. He didn't find out until three years ago that he inadvertently helped start it all. It wasn't until then he found out that Tim was victim number one. Timothy McGee's attack in the parking lot was the first of many. That led to Brandon's addiction with his new favorite thing. Because he was taking his aggression out on the boys, it wasn't being taken out on her anymore.

She started her car and started to drive. Soon she would have Brandon's daughter, her new daughter. Whether he liked it or not, Ryan was going to help her. She quickly followed behind his rental car.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

I don't own the show NCIS or the Characters.

This chapter is a little longer. I hope the chapter doesn't seem rushed.

Tim sat at a table, waiting for Tony and Agent Gibbs. It was a small diner with friendly staff. Tony had set up the mutual meeting ground to make it easier. Agent Gibbs had made it clear that Anna would not be there. Not the Tim blamed him. He understood how delicate the situation was. He just wanted to know a little about her. Getting to meet her once was more than he ever thought would happen. Now he had the chance to really get to know her. He shouldn't be letting his hopes get up. The last view of Agent Gibbs aka hunky guy, was not a good one.

He heard the bell ding over the diner door. He looked up to see Agent Gibbs coming through. Over the years, he had convinced himself the man couldn't look that good. But he was wrong, the man was gorgeous. Tim stood up to greet him. It was funny that he was an inch or so taller than the man now.

"SSA Gibbs, it's good to see you again," Tim said trying to sound less nervous than he felt.

"Just Gibbs. So what did you want?" Gibbs said shortly.

"Can't we wait for Tony?" he asked. Tony being there would make him less a babbling mess.

"Tony's working. Like I'm supposed to be doing. What was so important?" The man looked to be losing his patience.

"They accepted my application to NCIS. I start testing soon, then training."

"I know what happens. Are we done?" he asked.

"Please, I just want to see her, get to know her. I know she is your daughter. I'm not trying to be her father, I just want to know her." He laid everything out on the table. It was make or break time, and he knew it. This was his last chance.

"Who is her other father?" Gibbs asked. He knew the answer, but wanted to see what the young man would say.

"That's really none of your business, he's not in the picture anymore."

It was the first time that Gibbs saw the man get angry. Even when Gibbs pinned him up against the wall he wasn't angry.

"Point taken," he said. It was obvious from Tim's rigid stance that the ex could be telling the truth. Deciding to show his hand, he said, "Your fiancé said you would take her the first chance you got."

Tim froze. He couldn't believe Ryan was trying to hurt him. On second thought he could, Ryan didn't like to lose. Even if he was losing something he really didn't want. Last week, after Ryan had left him outside the hotel he had called his sister. He had her and her boyfriend go and pack his stuff and move it out. The plus was that Ryan didn't like Tim's stuff overtaking the house. Not that he had much anyway. After his mother had divorced his dad four years ago she was able to send him a little money.

Once her fear of his father was gone, she was like a different person. When he was little she was caring and sweet as long as his dad was gone. Which was most of the time. When his father made Admiral four years ago, his mom said she had done what was asked of her. Now she was dating a retired doctor from Boston. Tim had kept his promise to himself of not seeing his father again. He had video chatted with his mom but hadn't seen her in person.

Sarah was the only one he really had anything to do with. She had lived with him and Ryan for a couple of months when she started college. But Ryan had chased her out with his attitude.

"Ryan is no longer my anything. Please, I just don't know what else to say. You are the one in control here." Tim fought the tears that tried to escape, crying wasn't like him.

"Why did you chose a closed adoption then?" Gibbs asked.

"It wasn't my choice, none of this was. I'm not trying to get in anyone's way." He knew he had lost the fight, he just knew it.

"Okay, Timothy let's talk," the man said before taking a seat. For the first time in a long time, Tim felt hope.

Gibbs watched Anna dance around the living room. It had been a month since he started to allow Tim to visit. This was the first time he was going to let Tim take her somewhere alone. After a lot of soul searching and reflection, and DiNozzo sticking his nose where it didn't belong, he had given in.

Anna had been over the moon when Tim had told her about the Crime Museum. She had started talking about it all the time. When Gibbs offered to take her, she let him down gently. She said she just wanted her and Tim time. Tim then had tried to talk her into all three of them going. That was a no go, she was determined.

But he was much more secure in letting Tim take Anna for the afternoon. After talking with Tony and Tim, he found out what a manipulative bastard Ryan Todd was.

Then there was the other thing. What he didn't expect was the feelings he was having for the young man. He would say he was about a 2 on the Kinsey Scale. Not that he really thought much of it, but he had looked into it after his first encounter. The feelings for the young man were new. He hadn't had more than lust feelings for the men he had slept with. But it was more with Tim, he just didn't know what to call it yet. It wasn't love but it might be the makings of it. That thought made him want to step back from the situation. But unfortunately there was a little girl who had grown attached to Tim.

"Daddy, I'm I pretty?" Anna asked as she twirled around. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt under jean overalls.

"It's very nice," he told her. It had been a long work week. He was glad that there was no emergencies he had to tend to.

"Not pretty?" she asked looking up at him with her wide blue eyes.

He didn't know what her new obsession with everything being pretty came from. She had never asked that before, until a couple months before. This time the blame was all Abby. Every outfit Anna tried on Abby would say she was pretty, beautiful, or gorgeous. He didn't like that she was starting to think looks were all that mattered.

That was another reason he was okay with Tim hanging around. Abby was great with her but sometimes acted like Anna was dress up doll. Abby was very smart but she didn't share that wisdom with Anna. Tim on the other hand had started working with Anna on different activities that she had to use her brain. One being the Crime Museum. He made it fun for her, he said once, that it was stuff he wished his dad would have done with him. Then he spent the next thirty minutes backtracking so Gibbs didn't think he was getting too involved in her life.

"You look very smart," he said instead.

She beamed up at him and ran back upstairs to get her backpack.

Tim looked in the rearview at Anna sleeping in the back. She was in her booster car seat, fallen asleep as soon as they made it out of the parking lot. They had spent hours talking and looking around the museum. Anna had an inquisitive nature. If he didn't know the answer, she would make him ask a member of the staff. One time it was the custodian. She said the man cleaned the area all the time so he would know the answer. She was right the man did know the answer.

She slept the whole time back to her house. Once he was there Gibbs met him outside.

"How was it?" Gibbs asked as he pulled a sleeping Anna out. She stirred a little bit but fell back asleep.

"I had a blast, I think she did too. She talked about how her dad puts away bad guys. She is very proud of you," Tim said smiling at the older man.

Gibbs returned the smile led Tim into the house. Anna was still soundly asleep. He decided to lay her down in bed. He'd wake her up in about fifteen minutes. She usually woke up herself after getting out of the car.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asked Tim. It would be a treat for Anna to have Tim stay. Truth be told, it would be a treat for him too. The young man had wormed his way into their lives, and he didn't feel bad about that at all at the moment.

"I don't want to be a bother," Tim said quietly.

"No bother, you're cooking," Gibbs said to ease the man. It worked, Tim laughed and they went about preparing dinner together.

"Is she allergic to anything?" Tim asked after dinner.

Anna had been excited that he was staying for dinner. She was playing with her building blocks while they talked.

"She has a real bad reaction to poison ivy. She is not a good patient. But she's a healthy little girl, smart too." He couldn't help but brag a little. She was an amazing little girl.

"So tell me about you," Tim said, shocking Gibbs.

"Not much to tell, I work, come home take care of Anna then when she is asleep I work in the basement."

That sounded socially lonely to Tim, but the one thing he learned about Gibbs was he was a solitary person. He had let Anna into his life, and his colleagues when he wanted. He knew that from Tony, Tony on the other hand was a very social person.

"No, significant other?" Tim asked, hoping it sounded just like chitchat.

"Nah," was his only answer.

"I don't mean to pry, but when my dad told me about the adoptive parents he said you were married. Was he lying or did something happened?" Tim had seen the sadness in Gibbs eyes when he let his guard down.

"Stephanie was my fourth wife. She decided she didn't want to be a mom. She thought she would be stuck with Anna all the time."

Tim tried to keep his temper in check. But it did piss him off that someone thought spending time with Anna was being "stuck."

"But no one since?" Tim ground out.

"No, I haven't had the time. Anna takes up all my time that I'm not working. I don't regret it, she is my life."

Tim's anger that had been building faded away. He didn't know what to say. They started to talk about mundane things.

An hour later Tim stood up to leave. "Thank you for letting me take her today," he said honestly. Anna had already gone to bed.

Gibbs stepped closer to him, seeming like he was going to shake his hand. But then he surprised him with a kiss. Tim stood there shocked, he didn't expect this from the man. Had he been that obvious on wanting him? He didn't think so, he had always been good at covering his emotions, so much being called cold by some people.

Gibbs pulled away from the man when he didn't return the kiss. Thinking he had overstepped he started to apologize, but was cut off.

"Why?" Tim asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it too." Gibbs was ashamed of himself. He knew some of Tim's history and here he was forcing himself on the man.

"No, I do, I j-just want to know why," Tim stammered.

"Well, Tim, I thought that was obvious," Gibbs said smiling at the young man.

Tim cautiously smiled then leaned in to kiss Gibbs. It wasn't long before they made their way to Gibbs bedroom.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gibb's asked hesitantly. It had been a while since he was with anyone, longer since he was with a man.

"I'm sure," Tim said grinning like a fool. He had never been more sure about anything in his life. This was what he had wanted since the first time he saw the man.

Gibbs guided him to the bed, the back of his knees hit the bed. Once he fell backwards on the bed Gibbs walked back to the door. Before he could say anything, Gibbs locked the door. "Oh yeah," he thought, "The door needed to be locked."

"Umm… You have condoms right?" he asked. That was a must.

"Uh huh," Gibbs said smiling stalking towards the bed.

With Ryan there was never any passion. Just a couple of kisses from this man and he was burning up. He couldn't wait to see what the rest of the night brought.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

I do not own the show NCIS or characters.

Thank you all so much for the reviews. Because of what a review had posted it gave me an idea on something. It's not in this chapter but it is soon. You all are making this first fan fiction of mine a great experience.

A week after his night with Jethro, Tim started to worry. Jethro hadn't answered his phone since. When they were in bed together, he had told Tim to call him Jethro. Tim wasn't crazy about the name but it wasn't his. The only person he had told about the encounter was Kate when she called. He didn't want Tony to feel in the middle if he was getting blown off. He was sure he was.

That didn't matter, yeah it hurt but that wasn't the problem. With Jethro ignoring his calls he hadn't gotten to see Anna all week. That was what was really hurting him. He never had the best of luck with guys before, why should it be different now? Tim was supposed to leave for Glynco, Georgia in a few hours. He wanted to see Jethro and Anna one more time. He was going to be in Georgia for over two months for training.

He had to settle for leaving a message on Jethro's voicemail. It would be breaking his trust if he went over without an invitation. Tony was in the Bahamas with his new girlfriend, Daphne. They had been together for a couple of weeks. She won an all-expense paid vacation, and invited Tony to go with her. The man apparently hadn't taken a vacation in a long time. He had called Tim three days ago before he flew out. It was clear that Jethro didn't tell Tony about them sleeping together.

Four hours later he was sitting on the uncomfortable chair waiting for his flight. It had been delayed, and they didn't know for how long yet.

Gibbs checked his voicemail again. He deleted the ones from Tim as soon as he could. Then he pocketed his phone again. He couldn't face the man again. He had taken advantage of Tim. Tim was only calling because he wanted to see Anna. Gibbs was too old for him, it was only a matter of time before Tim realized it. It was for the best to stop it all before they were more invested.

Anna had been asking to see Tim, she usually talked to him a couple times during the week, and then saw him on the weekend. She even had a temper tantrum that morning. Gibbs just needed time to sort out his feelings. He knew it wasn't right not to call Tim back, but he just couldn't at the moment. It was more than just him. There was also Tim's want to be near Anna. Just how far would he go to be involved in her life? Did he just sleep with Gibbs to be close to her? No, he didn't really believe that. He made up his mind, as soon as he got home he would call Tim and ask him over. Maybe they could even have a cookout.

It had been a quiet week without DiNozzo. He missed the loud mouth a little bit.

A few hours later he was headed to pick Anna from the sitter's. Rosalynn lived only a few miles from him.

He knocked on the door loudly. Sometimes they were out back playing.

"Jethro," Rosalynn said as she answered the door. There was surprise in her wide dark eyes.

"Hello, Rosalynn, where's my girl?"

It was odd because Anna was usually at the door waiting for him.

"I don't understand. Mr. McGee already came to get her."

Ice filled Gibbs veins at that simple statement. He leaned on the door way so he wouldn't drop.

"What do you mean? Mr. McGee picked her up." He knew it, he should have listened to his years of experience instead of his heart.

"You sent the message," Rosalynn said looking scared.

"I didn't send you any message," he snapped.

The plump woman ran back in the house, seconds later she had a phone in her hands. She shoved the phone at him, pointing at the screen.

It was a text sent over an hour ago, sure enough it was from his phone number.

I'm sending a friend to pick up Anna. His name is Tim McGee, he will pick her up soon.

"I didn't send this!" he yelled.

"B-But how did it come from your phone?" she asked as tears ran down her face.

"I don't know, I've got to go. Call if you hear from her or him again," he told the woman. But he knew it was too late. He needed help. He pulled out his phone and called Abby.

"What's up, Gibbs," she asked cheerily.

"Have you left your lab yet?" he asked, trying to keep panic out of his voice.

"No, I was just headed out."

"I need you to track someone," he said as he got into his car and headed back to NCIS.

"Who?" He heard the click of her keyboard.

"Timothy McGee. He kidnapped Anna. I'm calling the police next but I don't want to wait on their channels."

He heard a curse from the usually happy woman and then a few seconds later.

"He bought a ticket to Savannah yesterday. His flight… is delayed. His phone says he's at the airport already." She rattled off the information and he disconnected.

He next called someone he was sure could get to the airport in time.

"Fornell," the cool voice said.

"Anna been taken. The man who has her is named Timothy McGee, he is at the airport waiting on a flight to Savannah. I'm still twenty out."

"I'll get there before he can sneak off, see you soon."

He knew he just released a bloodhound but he didn't care. He didn't protect Shannon and Kelly, that wasn't going to happen this time. Timothy McGee just signed his own death warrant. He had let the doe eyes and innocent face fool him. He didn't play around, that bastard wasn't going anywhere with Anna.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

Last night I wrote quite a bit. I'm editing those chapters out as I go. During the work week I don't get much time for writing.

"Mr. McGee," a voice called.

Tim looked up to see a man walking quickly towards him. He man wasn't very big but he screamed power and intimation. It didn't hurt there were four huge men behind him. Tim didn't know what they wanted but he knew it couldn't be good.

"Yes," he said when the man stood in front of him.

"Where is she?" the man snarled.

"Who?" He was confused, it was obvious they were looking for someone else.

"Anna Gibbs," the man bit out.

Tim's body almost dropped; out of everything he was not expecting him to say that.

"What do you mean? Anna is with her father, SSA Gibbs." He just then thought something had happened to Gibbs. There he was upset with the man and he was hurt or something. But that couldn't be right because Tony would call him. Except Tony was out of the country.

"No she's not, can you come with me." It wasn't a question.

Anna had been missing for two hours. Fornell had finally agreed to let Gibbs question Tim. Rosalynn was on her way to make an identification.

Gibbs walked into the small integration room. Tim sat at the table looking blank. It was like he wasn't even there anymore.

"Where is she?" Gibbs spat.

"I don't know, like I told Agent Fornell. Please, I didn't take her. You're looking in the wrong place. You have to find her." Life was sparking back in to Tim's eyes.

"We have a witness that you picked her up." Gibbs walked behind the chair where Tim was seated. He grabbed the man's hair and slammed his head, face first, into the table.

"Tell the truth. Where is she?" Gibbs was going to get his answer. The man's tears running down he face didn't mean anything to him. Nor did he care when the tears mixed with blood coming from his nose.

"I don't know. Please find her," Tim whispered trying to keep from calling out about the pain in his face.

The door opened and Fornell came in.

"Tobias, this has to be done," Gibbs snapped. He knew something wasn't right but his brain was only on one thing. To find Anna.

"The witness is here for the identification."

Gibbs and Fornell walked into the observation room. Inside was standing Rosalynn. Her face was red and blotchy from crying.

"Okay, Ms. Nelson, would you tell us if this is the man that picked up Anna today." Fornell hit the light turning on the window to show inside the interrogation room.

Rosalynn walked up to the window and looked. After a few moments she turned and looked right into his eyes.

"Jethro, that's not the man," she said with a hiccup.

"That's Timothy McGee, the one you said picked her up." He looked into the room where Tim sat hunched and crying. His face bloodied because of Gibbs.

Rosalynn gasped. "It wasn't a joke."

Completely lost he asked, "What wasn't a joke?"

"When the man came to get her, he introduced himself as Tim McGee. Anna came running up and called him another name. He said it was a joke between them."

"What was the other name?" He barely kept from shaking the woman.

"Ryan," she said before bursting out in tears again.

Gibbs cursed. He ran back to the other room.

"Where is Ryan?" he demanded.

Tim looked up and stared at Gibbs surprised. Behind him Agent Fornell came in and gave him a couple of tissues for his nose.

He held it to his nose to stop the blood.

"What do you mean? He's in Denver I guess. I haven't heard from him since he left me. Not that I care. What does this have to do with anything? You need to find Anna? Please, she's only a little girl," he begged.

"Anna called the man who picked her up Ryan. But she only met the man once. How does she remember someone she only met once, over a month ago?" Gibbs asked suspiciously.

"She didn't like him. She told me once she was glad I didn't bring him back. Kids remember people they don't like. They read people better than adults sometimes," Tim said. He didn't know why Ryan would take Anna.

Gibbs had Abby track Ryan Todd's phone. He was on his way to the location when his phone rang.

"Gibbs," he answered.

"Hey, Boss, I'm boarding my plane any minute. I'm coming as fast as I can. Have you found her yet?" Tony asked hopefully.

"No, I'm on my way to the location. Call when you land." If she wasn't at the location he needed as many people he could trust to find her.

Anna cried in as the mean woman yelled at her again. The man named Ryan had given her to the woman. She wouldn't even call her by her own name. The woman insisted she was her mother. And she said Anna wasn't her name, she said she was only to answer to Gillian. She didn't like that name, it wasn't hers.

She kept waiting for her dad to come and get her. She felt bad for yelling at him that morning. She just missed seeing Tim. When she heard Ryan say his name was Tim she knew that wasn't right. But she thought he was going to take her to him.

There were two other kids with the woman but they didn't talk. They were older than her. The woman was mean to them too.

The woman started yelling in her phone.

"What's your names?" she whispered to the girl and boy.

"Shhh…," the boy hissed.

"My name is Kylie, I'm six. That's B.J. he's eight," Kylie whispered.

"You shut up back there," the woman yelled.

Anna was scared of the woman so she stopped talking. She got worried when they stopped in front of a house. She didn't like it, it looked like one of the houses in the scary movies Tony watches.

She wished they would come and get her. Tony promised to bring her something from his trip. But she would give all of her stuff to just be home again. She didn't need presents or anything pretty. She sniffled as she thought about her family.

The woman grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car. She cried out when the woman's nails dug into her arm.

She was put in a room that had a bunk bed.

"This is your room, I don't want to hear anything from you." She turned to the boy and girl. "You two tell her the rules."

The woman slammed the door behind her. There was a clicking noise after that.

"What's that noise?" she asked.

"Mama locked the door," B.J. said. He climbed up on the top bunk and hugged his legs.

"I want my daddy," Anna cried.

"Shhh… Mama doesn't like noise. But on Sunday's Grandma and Grandpa come over. They're really nice," Kylie said.

"My Grandpa went to heaven," Anna said wiping her face.

"Just go along with whatever she says. She's sick, sometimes she thinks Dad is talking to her," B.J. said from the top bunk.

"Where is your dad?" she asked.

"Dead. But she talks like she talks to him all the time. She acts like he is here with us. But he's not though," B.J. said leaning over the bunk.

"Why am I here?" Anna asked. She didn't know any of these people.

"You're our sister," B.J. said before curling back on the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

Don't hate me for this chapter.

Ryan knew he had made the wrong choice, again. As the Feds surrounded him with weapons pulled, he thought about how this could end. How it all began was a story in itself.

He had loved Lola since the moment he met her. But she didn't want him, she wanted Brandon. Just hanging out with her was enough for him. At least he thought it was. Then he met the man, after that he had his own problems.

The man kept trying to corner him. He shut down pass after pass. But the man had gotten more aggressive. When Ryan started college he thought he was safe. But that was when Brandon started showing up where he worked. This time Lola wasn't there to slow him down.

It was then the idea of telling Brandon about Tim came to him. Brandon had said he just wanted to experiment with a guy. He overheard Kate and Tim talking about his plans to go to Dynamo. The boy said he wanted to lose his virginity. He just thought he was giving them both a push to each other. Then maybe if Brandon liked being with guys, Ryan could console Lola.

The night that Tim went to the Dynamo was the last time Ryan talked to Lola or Brandon for some time. Tim seemed to not hang around his house much after that according to Kate. Ryan just lost himself in classes, he had no idea what had really happened.

Then four months later out of the blue, Lola called. She said that she needed to talk to him. He came home to find Tim trying to stay the night in his room. He wasn't the most social person at the best of times. He usually stayed in Kate's room anyway. Didn't matter that they were sixteen, she didn't have the equipment Tim went for.

He went to Lola's house the next night and that was his second mistake. Lola had just gave birth to her second child. He found out he was there so Brandon could have some stress release. The hit to his head at least made the memories fuzzy, but they were still there.

He had known about Tim's pregnancy but didn't know who the father was. He knew Tim probably had sex with Brandon but who else had he been with. It wasn't until after his own attack he questioned Tim's willingness. But he had nothing to base that on, Tim showed no distress. Then again neither had he.

Then three years ago he had visited Tim with Kate. He overheard them talking about the rape and the baby. Then soon after he heard about Brandon's murder; it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. He seemed to have tried to bully those that were bigger than him.

He went straight to Lola, because even after everything, he still loved her. He then made mistake number three, he told her about the baby. It was soon after that he suspected she was losing her mind.

When she told him to start dating Tim, so he could find out where the baby was, he told her no. She then used her only ace. To tell his family and Tim's that he had practically wrapped Tim up in a bow for Brandon. Tim had only been sixteen, so there was criminal charges in there too.

He hated every minute he was with Tim, but he was always gentle with him. He didn't Tim to ever think he was like Brandon. But really was he that different?

He had to admit he was pissed when Tim ended it. He had treated the man well, and this was how he thanked him. That was why he took great pleasure in telling Agent Gibbs that Tim was untrustworthy.

But when Lola came to him about kidnapping, he told her absolutely not. Then she called him a month later and told him that Tim was sleeping with the agent. Tim wasn't going to get the happy family that was denied to Ryan. If he couldn't have happily ever after with Lola, Tim couldn't have a happily ever after with Gibbs and the brat.

He knew they would make him tell where Anna was. He couldn't betray Lola. He gave the lead agent a smile before raising his gun. There would be no happy endings for any of them. The smile was still there as the bullets pierced his skin.

The world had ended for him almost a month ago. Losing Anna was the final blow. The only reason his heart was still beating was because there was a chance she could still be alive.

Gibbs made Tim leave soon after he was cleared of fault. He wanted nothing to do with the man who caused all of this. He had brought that man into Gibbs' house. Because of him, her kidnapper wasn't a complete stranger so she went with him.

Gibbs had taken a leave of absence. He tried to quit but Vance refused to put in the paperwork. He didn't care, he didn't care about anything. Almost anything. He spend day in and day out looking for Anna.

Her room was the same, he had finished her bed but didn't put it up there. He wanted everything the same for her when he brought her home. There wasn't any other option, she had to come home. He had promised her she was safe. This was all Timothy McGee's fault. He hoped the man understood what he had done.

Tim snuck quietly into the house. It was just by luck he was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Kate was still dealing with Ryan's crime and death. But by chance he ran into his old friend Oscar. He had went back home to see if anyone knew anything. The FBI had already done it but they hadn't talked to Oscar.

He had noticed the guilt all over Oscar's face. It didn't take long before he broke. He said that Ryan paid him to hack into some agent's phone. He knew he was doing wrong but Ryan told him that Tim just wanted to see her. That he would talk to her and take her back to her father. Tim believed him, Oscar was intelligent but had no common sense.

Together they traced Ryan's life as far back as both could remember. That led them to Lola Christian. Tim had hyperventilated when he found out she married Brandon Stacks. He had sat outside the woman's house for a couple hours. It was when she left that things got a little illegal. He had broken into the woman's house. He had regretted not going home sooner. He might have already had Anna if he had.

He heard quiet voices from behind a padlocked door. The woman obviously wasn't expecting anyone to come in her house. Because the key was still in the padlock. He didn't know what he would find behind the door but he heard voices. That had to mean whoever behind it was at least alive. He turned the key until the lock snapped open. A shushing sound came from inside the room. He took the lock off and pocketed it.

Slowly he opened the door. What he saw shocked him. Inside was a small girl, not Anna, and a little boy. They had bags under their eyes and looked like they needed a good meal. They also looked terrified.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," he told them.

"TIM!" a voice shouted. From under the bottom of the bunk bed Anna scurried out. She ran full speed at him, and he barely had enough time to get over his shock to catch her.

She was thinner than before and paler, but no signs of abuse.

"Can you take me to Daddy," he cried into his shirt.

He held her tightly and told her he would. His eyes rose to the other small children. He sat Anna down and pulled out his phone. He called 911 and gave a short recap of what was going on. He wanted to get the kids out of the house. The cops could look at it, they didn't need to stay a minute more.

"Come on, let's go wait for the cops outside."

"NO!" the little boy yelled.

"Mama, won't like us out there," Anna cried out. He gritted his teeth. It wasn't the right time to get mad, that was for later.

"She isn't your mother," he told Anna. "And she shouldn't be locking you in rooms," he told the two others.

He was just about to start begging when he heard the sirens. There must have been a car close. He breathed a sigh of relief, the children would be safe.

"C-Can we go to Grandma's?" the little girl asked.

"Where is your grandmother?" He didn't want to say yes because it wasn't his call.

"I don't know she used to visit a lot but we haven't seen her since Gillian came." Who was Gillian? Anna tense up, telling him she was Gillian.

Well if he kidnapped a kid he sure didn't want people to see said kidnapped kid, so it made sense.

There was pounding on the front door. He walked out and opened it. He was greeted by two burly cops.

"They're in here," he said showing them the way.

He pulled out the lock and handed it the cop closest to him. While the cops started talking to the children he walked over to the bed and sat. It was only a moment before Anna climbed into his lap. Pulling out his phone he called the number he had been waiting a month to call.

Gibbs looked down at his phone when it rang. Tim again, the man had called ten times in the last twenty minutes. He had also sent texts that Gibbs didn't read. The phone stopped and he went back to eating his mushy cereal.

His phone went off again he grabbed it to turn it off until he noticed it was Tony.

"Gibbs," he answered. Tony might have information on Anna, as unlikely as it was after a month.

"Tim's got her," Tony all but screamed into the phone.

"What?" he asked trying to make sense of the statement.

"Tim found her, she is in his arms right now. I'm leaving right now. Do you want me to pick you up?" He thought for a half a second, while Tony was a scary driver, he himself would probably kill them both speeding to get to there.

"Yes," he said before disconnecting.

It turned out Tony was already in front of his house. Manassas, Maryland, that's where his daughter was. He got a call from Fornell on the way. He had just been contacted by the LEO's. They already had a head start on them.

He didn't know how Tim found her, he didn't care at the moment. Later he would, but only after holding her in his arms for about four or five years.

The drive seemed to go at a snail's pace, even though he saw the speedometer stay at around eighty. Soon they were pulling onto a street filled with cops and FBI vehicles.

Gibbs didn't have his badge because he threw it at Vance but they got in with Tony's. The small shabby house was filled with people. He looked around for Anna but didn't see her.

"Excuse me sir," a paunchy detective said, stopping him with a hand on his chest.

"Yes," he growled.

"Are you by chance Agent Jethro Gibbs or Agent Anthony DiNozzo?"

"Yes, I'm Agent Gibbs." Maybe. He'd have to ask Vance about that.

"Mr. McGee took the children next door. There were too many people in here collecting evidence."

Gibbs turned around and ran across the street to a small, clean house.

A short woman in her early eighties answered the door.

"Oh, hello, come in, come in," she said gesturing them in.

As soon as he walked in the door a loud squeal sounded from inside.

"Daddy!" Anna yelled, as she tackled his legs.

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up. He held her tightly and for the first time let himself feel since she had been gone. He paid no attention to what was going on around him.

Tim's breath caught as he watched father and daughter. He was happy he could give this to them.

They were treading a fine line with the police at the moment. Tim had broken into a house after all. The plus was that Anna was found there. The two other children were bordering on malnutrition. When they tried to question Lola she lost it and tried to stab a cop. So he had that going for him. He didn't know what was wrong with her but he knew it wasn't jail she was going to, it was a nice long stay at mental help facility.

B.J. and Kylie's grandparents where with the social worker now. They were working out to get custody of them. They had started becoming suspicious of their daughter's sanity and actually had thought about calling CPS. But that was only recently when she wouldn't let them see the children. The children were excited about going with their grandparents.

Five hours later Gibbs was on his way home. He had thanked Tim but made it clear that all contact had to be stopped. He wasn't going to risk her again. He was grateful and told Tim he would help him get his placement back. The man didn't go to Glynco for his training because of the kidnapping.

Gibbs felt guilt about how he had treated the young man. First, he had slept with the man then ignored him. Then he smashed his face into a table. Even after he found out the man did nothing wrong he couldn't forgive him. He knew it wasn't fair or right but he lost Anna because of him. No matter what feelings he was starting to have for Tim, Anna always came first. He hoped that Tim found someone that treated him right. He ground his teeth together thinking of someone else with the sweet, shy man.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

This is a really short chapter but needed.

"Norfolk, really?" Tony asked.

Tim laughed. "Yep."

He liked that he would be a good distance away from Gibbs. He really didn't need to be stressed at the moment.

"Well, at least you get your pick. You're only a hop, skip and a jump from Little Creek. You could get you a big SEAL daddy," DiNozzo said, laughing. "Oww," he said suddenly.

"What happened?" Tim asked. He was unpacking his measly possessions while talking to Tony on the phone.

"Gibbs hit me," Tony said pouting.

Tim's heart hurt just hearing the man's name. It had been three months since he saw the man and four since he slept with the man. He knew he would have to talk to the man soon but he still had five months. He rubbed his hand over his stomach feeling the small bump. He was showing much sooner this time around but the doctor said that was normal. First being his second pregnancy, and second since there were two of them in there. He really should call Gibbs and tell him to throw those condoms out. They sure as hell didn't work.

He knew one thing for sure, there was no way he was giving up his children this time. He had a secure job now, at least he wasn't a field agent. All he had to do was pass training, and he did. Now he was going to be in the computer lab all day. It was safest for the babies. He hadn't told anyone but his boss about his pregnancy. Not even Tony knew.

He opened the door to his small apartment. It was a one room apartment. He thought his days of living in a dorm was over. How wrong he was. His fingers itched to call Gibbs. He wanted to know how he and Anna were doing. He missed both of them terribly.

Sitting down in his computer chair he lost himself in the latest video game he had gotten.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

I love all the reviews, thank you all so much.

Tim stood up to stretch his back. Sitting hunched over a computer for hours at a time was killing it. He had another month before paternity leave. He was seven months as of yesterday.

Tomorrow he was planning on going to D.C. and seeing Gibbs face to face. The man had blocked Tim's number. He had even called from his office phone to get ahold of Gibbs. That was when the man changed his number. Tim didn't even get more than one word out before he was hung up on.

"God, you're huge," Dale said.

He liked Dale, the man was charming, funny and open about his sexuality. Tim had never met someone as free as Dale; he was a little older than Tim. He was 5'4 with brown eyes and wavy, shoulder length blonde hair.

Their boss, Keagan, had been on him to look more professional for the job. Dale pointed out that no one ever came into their computer lab. For a little guy Dale was loud and brash. He called it his Napoleon complex.

Dale also convinced him to move in with him. He was horrified to see Tim's small efficiency apartment. When Tim saw Dale's beautiful Gablefront house with a porch, he had fallen in love with the house on sight. When Dale asked him to move in at first he said no. Then Dale talked about being lonely in his house; that he would love for Tim and the babies to move in.

It felt good to be wanted. It had been so long since that had happened in his personal life. Dale was also his confidante in everything Gibbs related. Tony was spending so much time with his girlfriend that he hadn't come to see him. That meant Tony didn't know about the pregnancy.

"You saw me ten minutes ago," he complained.

"I know, but I think each baby has grown in that time."

"Ha ha, very funny. Are you ready to go home?" he asked Dale.

"Yeah, we'll leave soon, but you have a visitor."

Dale reopened the door and revealed a grinning, Anthony DiNozzo.

Tony's eyes went wide before he let out a loud whistle. "McGeek, you either swallowed a watermelon or baby number two is on the way. And by the looks of it, any day now?"

Tim knew he looked huge. He was as big now at only seven months as he was when he was full term with Anna. The doctor told him not to expect to get to full term this time. Just to get as far as possible to make the chances of survival greater.

"I'm only twenty-eight weeks. By the time the babies come I'll be a whale."

"Babies? Wow! So who's the proud papa? Please don't tell me it was Ryan the Lunatic." Tony shuddered at the thought.

Tim looked happy, his eyes were still a little dull. He knew the light was only there when he was near Anna. Which was why he was there.

"Don't worry, they're not. What are you doing here?" Tim asked. Tony didn't blame him for being suspicious, he hadn't told him he was coming.

"Daphne wanted to meet you. We had someone tag along though."

"Who?" Tim asked apprehensively.

Tony smiled before walking back over to the door. He gestured to someone outside of it. Tim was struck speechless when a tall, raven haired woman and a small girl walked in.

"A-Anna," he choked out.

Anna's eyes zeroed in on his stomach. She walked over and put her small hand on it.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"Two little babies." Her eyes grew watery and she dropped her hand.

"You have two babies now," she cried.

Tim looked at Tony for an explanation. Tony seemed to be lost on what to do.

"What's going on?" he asked Tony.

"Gibbs told her the truth. He told her a couple of months ago, about being your biological daughter. He finally allowed me to bring her. He's ashamed of the way he had treated you. He's working on things, even seeing a therapist. He's trying to figure out why he became Fort Knox overnight."

Huge sobs came from the small child. Tim grabbed her hand and led her to his desk.

"What's wrong, Anna?" He sat down in his chair to come closer to her eye level, his body didn't bend anymore.

"You don't want me anymore. You have new babies."

He pulled her into his arms, "I'll always want you. I love getting to spend any time with you. I'm so lucky that your daddy said you could come to see me." He held her until her sobs calmed.

"I need to talk to Gibbs, I've been trying to call him for a while. Tony would you call him and convince him to talk to me. Even if it's on the phone."

Tony nodded before pulling out his phone. After a few minutes of quiet talk, he handed the phone to Tim. He stood up and had Anna sit in his chair. He took the phone into the hallway.

Gibbs knew he was stuck now. He had told Tony he would listen to McGee. After Tim saved Anna and he refused to let them see each other, he knew he had messed up. But he didn't know how to fix it, so he just ignored the whole thing.

"Hello," he heard Tim say quietly.

"What is it your need?" he said sharply. Why couldn't he just stop being so cold to the man.

"Umm… I just thought you would want to know. You are going to be a father again. I'm twenty-eight weeks pregnant, I haven't been with anyone else, and they are yours. I'm not asking anything from you, I'll do this alone."

Gibbs held the phone to his head and stammered, until he realized the man had disconnected the call. He dropped the phone on his desk and stared at it like it was a snake.

He grabbed the phone and called Tony's phone back.

"Hey, boss," Tony answered.

"Is he really pregnant?" he ground out.

"Oh yeah, big as a house. Hey, only Gibbs can hit me," Tony said pouting.

"What's Tim's address?" he asked.

He heard some debate after that, but got the address. He told Tony that he could leave Anna with Tim because he would be there soon.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

I just finished this chapter and read it through twice. I'm sorry for any mistakes.

Gibbs knocked on the door of the nice-looking house; it wasn't a place he would think Tim would want to live. He hadn't stopped thinking about what Tim had said. If it was true that Tim was pregnant by him then he would be there for them. That was something else, Tim had said "they" to him. Did that mean that there were more than one?

When the door was answered it wasn't by Tim. Standing in front of him was a short, blonde man. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He was also glaring at him with such anger that if Gibbs were a different man he would have stepped back.

"Is Tim here?" he asked.

"He's inside spending time with Anna. You are lucky he is a different kind of person than you. He would never keep your children away from you." The man opened the door wider letting Gibbs in.

He followed the blonde man into a small living room. Inside, was Tim sitting on the couch, and up against his side was Anna. She was patting his stomach and talking. Looking up, she saw Tim walk in.

"Daddy, Tim is having two babies. Did you know they can hear me? I've been telling them stories." She giggled as she bounced up and gave him a hug.

Gibbs couldn't believe how big Tim was. There was no doubt he was very pregnant.

"Hey, short stuff, how about we go make some cookies?" Dale said to Anna.

"Cookies?" she asked with a big smile. She looked at Gibbs for permission.

"Sure, go ahead." He needed to talk to Tim without worrying about upsetting Anna.

"Yay! I get to make the babies' cookies!" She ran past Gibbs and the blonde man into what he could only guess was the kitchen.

"If you need me, just call. I may not win the fight, but he'll be walking funny for the rest of the night," the blonde said to Tim.

It pissed him off when Tim laughed. But he did tell the man that he would be okay. The men swaggered into the kitchen.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?" Tim asked cutting to the chase.

"I want you to move to D.C. I've already talked to Vance. There's a slot open for you in Cyber Crimes there. I'll help you move. There is an apartment building near my house. That way I can see the babies anytime." Gibbs said rapidly. "And you can see Anna," he added…clearly as an afterthought.

Tim had realized what he had missed. Seeing the man at sixteen, Tim had developed a teenage crush on him. It was that crush and obsessing over that night, which led him to sleeping with Gibbs. But instead of letting the night go and learning his lesson, he obsessed about that too.

He didn't have the option to just never see the man again. Even if he wasn't pregnant, because Gibbs had Anna. Anna and the babies were everything to Tim. Dale had made him realized he found men who treated him like dirt. He was drawn to them because that's what he felt he deserved. Men that were like his father: cold, distant, violent.

"I'm not moving. I like my job here and I like where I live. I can be completely open about myself. We've already started work on the twins' room. And yes, even though you didn't ask, they are twins. I don't know their genders because I wanted it to be a surprise. I won't keep them from you, because that is cruel to the children as well as the parent. I know this from experience. You and my father have taught me how NOT to parent a child. You put your own wants and needs before your children's best interests.

"If you have any more questions you can ask me nicely or talk to my lawyer. She's already written up a custody agreement. She was planning on sending it out next week, I'll tell her to send it out as soon as possible. Just so you know, I have kept track of every one of my calls to inform you about the babies. So don't even think about trying to use that against me. I have no say over Anna; though I do wish to see her, but I do with these two. Just be grateful I'm not a spiteful, hateful person. I'll leave that job to you."

Tim was shaking when he stood up. He had finally gotten to speak his mind. The feeling of weight coming off of his chest by getting it all out there was amazing. For once he didn't feel like he cowed down to someone. True, it would be great to be close to Anna. But he had the feeling in he gave in now, Gibbs would boss him around for the rest of his life. If he was still speaking to his father, he would get his anger towards him out too.

"Tim," Gibbs started to say.

"Save it. We are stuck together for the rest of our lives, but if it means I can have Anna in my life as well as the babies, it'll be worth it.

Dale watched Tim stretch out in the recliner. It had been a week since Agent Gibbs' visit. Tim was able to video-chat with Anna every night. Every night she had new suggestions for the babies' name. Dale's favorites so far were Cleo and Petra. He had no idea how she came up with the names but she was always surprising them.

"I'm hungry," Dale announced loudly.

"What do you want to eat?" Tim asked, pushing the foot stand down.

"I was thinking we should go out tonight."

Tim did most of the cooking because he insisted Dale was trying to poison him. Unlike Tim who cooked for other people, Dale had lived off noodles and take out since moving out of his parents' house.

"I don't really feel like having people stare at me tonight."

"Okay, how would you like restaurant style food in the comfort of your own home?"

"So you just want take out." Tim surmised.

"You just seem really tired tonight. I can make us some food," he offered.

"I'll order the food," Tim said, laughing at Dale's pout.

"Thank you for coming over this weekend," Gibbs said as he helped Tim into the house.

Dale had just dropped him off because Tim couldn't fit behind the steering wheel anymore. He was thirty-two weeks now, the doctor said it could be anytime. Anna had planned the whole weekend for them. He was just hoping he could make it through dinner without falling asleep.

"I told you, spending time with Anna is very important to me. All three of them are the world to me." He lowered himself down on the hard looking couch. A little relived that the couch was softer than it looked.

"What about Dale? Is he your life too?" Gibbs asked quietly.

It took a minute to register what that question was.

"Are you jealous, Agent Gibbs?" he asked smirking.

For the past month after he told to Anna he would talk to Gibbs for a while. They talked about: the babies, Anna, work, Tony, friends, almost everything except for his relationship with Dale.

"I didn't say that," Gibbs backtracked.

Tim watched at Gibbs picked up a stack of papers and brought them to him. He groaned knowing what they were. The man couldn't just invite him over to be nice, he had to get something out of him. He should have figured the man would get his own custody agreement for the twins drawn up.

"What's this?" Tim asked, even though he knew.

"This….." Gibbs said grabbed the top packet, "is visitation rights agreement for Anna, I already signed. All you have to do is read it and sign it as well. Feel free to take it to your lawyer first. This one is guardianship papers. They state if anything happens to me, Anna goes to you."

Gibbs held his breath while Tim looked over the papers. He knew that he had to show that he wanted to be a family. It had taken him a long time to realize what he really wanted. It wasn't until he saw how much Dale was in Tim's life, that he knew he might have already lost that chance.

Then he had come to the realization that he just wanted Tim and the children happy. If it was when Tim was with Dale and not him, so be it. He had done a background check on the man. Dale was a good person according to paper. Gibbs read people pretty good and he could tell Dale was a good person. That only caused him to dislike the man more.

"Thank you," Tim said hoarsely.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

Tim was only there for two hours before Gibbs was called away. That took care of any plans that involved a lot of moving around. Anna seemed to not mind much, as she brought every toy from her room into the living room. She instructed Tim in her style of play. Her favorite toy was a building-block set.

"Papa, look," she called to him.

He was making a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich, the default lunch for when all other lunch suggestions were refused. She was a very stubborn little girl. She reminded him a lot of his sister. He just hoped when she grew up she could hold her liquor better, and better taste in pizza.

Anna came in holding up a plastic dragon. It was green, with wings spread wide open.

"Wow, that's really neat," he told her. This had been happening with every single toy. It was getting harder and harder to sound authentic

"When's Daddy coming home?"

"In a couple more hours. Here's your lunch." He placed the sandwich on a plate and put in on the table.

"I'm so hungry," she whined.

"Well, the food is right there," he said pointing at the sandwich in front of her.

"I can't eat that," she whined some more.

"Why not?" He was lost, it was what she asked for.

"It's gross," she said pushing the plate away.

"What's gross about it?" He tried his best not to sound annoyed. It was what she asked for.

"I'm starving," she sobbed.

At a loss for what to do, he walked away and called Gibbs.

"Gibbs," he answered on the first ring.

"She asked for a peanut butter sandwich with strawberry jelly, it's what I made. But she refuses to eat it, she said it was gross," he said rapidly.

"Did you cut the crust off and cut the sandwich diagonally?" Gibbs asked. Tim could hear the amusement in the man's voice.

"She didn't ask for any of that," he replied.

"Doesn't make her want it less."

"Fine," he said shortly before disconnecting.

Doing what Gibbs had suggested, she quickly ate. He made himself a grilled cheese with tomato soup. Tim tried to ignore the gagging sounds that came from Anna.

"Do you have something to say?" he asked smirking at her sour face.

"That's gross." She seemed to say that a lot. More and more, she was treating him less and less like a guest in her life. It was a good feeling even though she seemed to have a flair for the dramatic.

Gibbs walked through the door a little after nine at night. He had tried to call Tim an hour ago but received no answer. He finished work quickly and headed home.

"Tim! Anna!" he yelled for them.

No answer.

"Anna!" he called to her using his strict voice.

Still no answer.

He started checking all the rooms. He stopped when he got to the guest room. Tim was sleeping on his side in the bed. Anna was curled up beside him. In her hands rested one of the dolls that she had picked out for the babies. Her eyes opened when he started to back out of the door. She raised a finger to her lips, silently shushing him.

He quietly backed out of the room and went downstairs. He heard Anna's footfalls behind him.

"Daddy, you're home," she squealed when they reached the kitchen.

"Sure am. Have you been taking care of Tim?" he asked her.

"Yep, but Papa didn't feel good so he had to go to bed. But I read him stories, and the babies liked it too, he said so." She looked so proud of herself.

"Did you have dinner?"

"Uh huh. Papa saved you a plate, it's in the fridge." She yawned loudly.

"Go get ready for bed and I'll come tuck you in."

After a few feeble attempts to stay up she headed off to bed.

He warmed up the plate that Tim had left. It was a better homemade meal than he'd had in a long time.

The next morning was better because Gibbs didn't get called away. He just wanted to enjoy the day before Dale came and got Tim. He still hadn't asked the man about his relationship to the man. He didn't want to sound like a jealous caveman. He just knew he didn't want a stranger raising his kids. But he also was smart enough not to say that to Tim.

Anna went upstairs to change her clothes. Again. Gibbs thought now would be a good time to see where Tim's head was.

"Hey, Tim," he called out.

Tim's head popped out of the kitchen. His smile was dazzling, as it had been since getting up. Gibbs wished some of that smile was for him. He knew he didn't deserve it but it didn't stop the longing.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he asked Tim.

Tim didn't know what to think about Jethro's tone. He had heard many different ones from the man: hard, passionate, cold, and angry. But this one was completely new. It was nervous, a complete foreign tone from Jethro.

"Sure, I guess. You know everything personal about me now." Even though he said it, he was still a bundle of nerves himself.

"What exactly is your relationship with your friend Dale?"

Tim had the think about that for a minute. Not because he didn't know the answer but because he was unsure of how to answer. He didn't want Jethro to dictate his life but he didn't want to mislead him either. When he had met Dale he thought he was a handsome man. But there was no spark. Dale also thought at the beginning there maybe something but they fell into the friend zone.

That was one of the reasons he liked Dale so much. Dale just liked him without a hidden agenda. He just liked him for who he was. Sure he wanted Tim in the house so he wasn't so lonely but he never asked for anything, except half the rent and utilities.

"I don't really see how that's your business," he told him truthfully.

"Who is around the twins and Anna when they are with you, is my business. You have proven before that you are not the best judge of character."

Tim just stood there and gaped at Jethro. What Jethro said hurt. Because it was voicing his own self-doubt. He couldn't believe it. This was just as he started to let his guard down. They had been getting along great. Jethro was treating him like and adult, and as Anna's other parent. He had even started to think about giving in to Jethro's advances again. For a couple of days he started to see the man that he had conceived the twins with.

"I'm sorry. You're right. Who the children are around is your business. But who I sleep with isn't." His temper was rising. He could feel himself getting worked up but he couldn't stop. "And if you think I… OW!"

His back started to spasm and his stomach clinched. He would have dropped to his knees if it wasn't for Jethro, who had rushed to hold him up.

"What's wrong?"

"I think it's time," he ground out.

"But you're only 35 weeks," Jethro said, worriedly.

"I know that. We need to go to the hospital. Now."

Anna came running down stairs with her backpack. Her eyes took in the sight and seemed to catch on faster than Jethro.

"The babies are coming?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes," Tim said breathlessly as a contraction hit.

He was over three hours away from his doctor in Norfolk. After the last weekend they spent together, he thought it would just be as low key. He didn't expect to go into labor there.

"Call Dale," he told Jethro. He ignored the pinched face the man made. Dale would bring his hospital bag.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

"Mr. Gibbs," a small woman in pink scrubs said.

They had been in the waiting room for hours. When they had gotten to the hospital he had known something was wrong. They took Tim back and that was it. He couldn't go back until someone came to watch Anna.

"Yes," he said, jumping up. Anna was clutching his hand.

The severe-looking woman looked at Anna, then back at him. Catching on, he said, "Anna, can you go wait over by that window for me?"

Knowing she was being sent away, she grumbled. However, she did as she was told.

"Is Tim okay? The babies?" he asked hastily.

"The babies are going to be fine. The first baby was 5Ibs, 10oz and the second was 5Ibs, 6oz. The good news is that they won't have to be in NICU."

Gibbs breathed out a sigh of relief. "Can I see them? Are they in the room with Tim?"

"Mr. McGee lost a lot of blood. He is having transfusions right now. The babies are in the nursery if you want to take your daughter to see them." She took two bands out of her coat pocket. She then put the nursery bands on their wrists after waving Anna over.

He started to head for the nursery when Anna spoke up.

"Are they boys or girls?" she asked happily, oblivious to the danger Tim was in, which was a godsend.

He had been so worried about Tim he hadn't asked about their genders.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there." His mind was stuck on Tim. He wanted to do was go see the man with his own eyes. But he was torn in two different ways because he wanted to see the twins and know they were okay too.

Once they got nursery they showed their bands. He remembered that nursery windows used to be open areas. Now you needed the bands to get into the area.

Anna ran for the window that overlooked the babies in their bassinets.

"Which ones are ours?" Her eyes roving over all the little babies.

She was so excited the babies were here. She couldn't wait to hold them. She hoped Papa kept his promise and let her name one.

"There," her dad said, pointing.

"Where?" She couldn't see where he was pointing.

He picked her up and pointed again. She followed to where he was pointing.

"Oh, Daddy, they're so small. What are they?"

Gibbs laughed and looked at his two newborns. "Well, that one," he said pointing at the baby with the pink placard. "Is your sister. And that one is your brother."

Anna squealed loudly. "We got one of both. Let's go tell Papa."

His phone beeped, alerting him to Tony's arrival. He quickly took Anna to Tony in the waiting room. After giving permission for Tony to go to the nursery, he headed to see Tim.

After a few wrong turns, he finally arrived at the room. He stopped when he heard talking.

Tim was glad Dale was there. He hadn't felt so alone in a long time. The nurse said that as soon as the transfusion was over he would be moved and could have the twins in the room with him. Dale had just got there.

"So what do you plan to do?" he asked Dale.

He could tell the man looked guilty as hell. It wasn't an opportunity he should pass up. When he had told Tim about the possibility a month ago he was sure it wasn't going to happen. But now everything was so real.

Dale couldn't even tell Tim where he was going. He would simultaneously miss him and worry about him. But getting an experience like this, it was priceless. Dale would be gone for, at least, a year… maybe more.

Once Jethro found out that Dale was leaving, he would be on him to move closer again. While he loved his job and had other friends, he didn't want to be alone. He thought more and more about moving closer to Jethro and Anna, though it would be under his own rules, not Jethro's. That was for sure.

"I hate leaving you and the babies," Dale said quietly.

"You need to do what is best for you. You are my friend. You always will be."

"I want to go," Dale said, sounding ashamed.

"Good, I want to move closer to Anna. We are just too far away to have a good relationship with Anna, and for them to see the twins grow." It was mostly the truth, some he just said to make Dale not feel guilty.

There was a quiet tap on the door. Tim watched as Jethro walked into the room. His face was happy, but there was a guarded look to it. Tim had no clue what that meant.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk. I'm going to go and make a few calls. Talk to you soon," Dale said. He then leaned over a placed a gentle kiss on Tim's cheek.

Once they were alone it was awkwardly silent until Tim spoke.

"Did you see them?" he asked. He couldn't wait to hold them. They were taken away quickly when everything went to hell.

"Yes, they're beautiful. Have you decided on names yet?"

"Yeah, Petra and Alexander."

"Those are beautiful names. I still don't know where she picked up Petra." Tim had to laugh at that.

"Can I make a suggestion? It's fine if you don't like it. But I was wondering if Alexander's middle name could be Jackson. They kind of go together."

Tim looked at Jethro for a minute. He had already picked out middle names but could tell this was important.

"Who's Jackson?"

"My father, he passed away a year ago."

Tim saw the tough ex-marine and NCIS agent keep the tears at bay, just barely.

"Alexander Jackson McGee-Gibbs, it's a mouthful but I'm sure he'll grow into it."

Gibbs was taken aback when Tim added his surname. He was sure the man would try and hold everything over his head. But he didn't know why he thought that. He was the one usually causing had been more than fair on everything. So much more than Gibbs deserved.

"What's Petra's middle name?" he asked.

"Jane." He liked it, simple but classic.

"Beautiful, just like her."

"They need to hurry up and move me, I want to hold them."

They talked a little more before the doctor came back in. He was then moved to a post-delivery room. He got to spend time with Anna, Jethro and the babies before he needed to sleep again.

Gibbs promised to bring Anna back the next morning so she could see the babies. She had demanded to call everyone and tell them about the babies and their names.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

Sorry it took so long for an update. It's been a busy week.

Tim and the babies had been released from the hospital earlier that day. He wanted to go straight home, but he didn't have his car. Jethro bought new newborn carseats and installed them. He kept on asking Tim to come home with him at least for a few days.

Dale wasn't answering his phone so Tim gave in. Dale wasn't due to leave for another month, so he didn't know why he wasn't answering. For a minute dark thoughts of someone like Brandon Stacks getting their hands on him skittered through his mind. But he pushed those thoughts away, Dale was small but he was tougher than he looked.

Not really having another option he took Jethro up on his offer. It worked out because Anna didn't want to give up time with her brother and sister.

Jethro had brought Anna's crib into the guestroom. Tim didn't want to let them out of his sight so it was a must that they be in the same room with him. Anna was taken away from him so quickly, he wasn't going to let that happen again.

Both babies were asleep in the crib. Following his doctor's instructions he laid down for some sleep. The doctor had told him that when the babies slept, he slept. It felt like he hadn't slept in months anyway. He quickly nodded of just after laying down.

Gibbs had Anna help in bringing in the stuff from the car. He had talked Tim into staying with them until the man got a new apartment. Anna had quickly grown tired of the babies but she still loved them. She would coo and talk to them.

Tim almost never let the babies out of his sight. Gibbs was starting to take it to heart. At first he thought it was because they were newborns. But now after two months, he was starting the think the man was a bit possessive about them. Tim wouldn't even let him take them while he napped. When Gibbs pointed out that it was like Tim didn't trust him with their children, he was then yelled at about his audacity. Tim went on a thirty minute rant about trust. Gibbs couldn't even deny most of it because it was true. It was all true. He hadn't trusted Tim, then he had ended up hurting the man, emotionally and physically.

He remembered slamming the gentle man's face into the hard, unforgiving table. He deserved every bit of anger and bitterness he was getting. He was lucky that Tim let him around the twins at all.

Just the thought that he had hurt the man made his stomach roll. He remembered the blood and tears running down his face. But those tears weren't even for his own pain; they were for Anna. After he had gotten Anna back he had realized what a horrible thing he had done.

The questions kept filtering through his brain. What if he didn't stop with a bloody nose? What if he would have hit the man in the stomach? There would be no A.J. or Petra. They would have lost them before he even knew they were there. There was no way Tim would ever forgive him. His only hope was to be there for Tim and the kids.

Tony even told him off several times. He actually stood up to Gibbs. He told him that if he ever hurt Tim again he would ask for a transfer. He said there was no way he was watching Tim get broken down again.

Tim was the reason Anna was found and Gibbs had taken her away again. Tony had asked him if it weren't for the twins would he even let Tim see Anna. He knew now that he would but without the twins he wouldn't have had the courage to talk to the man again. It was the thought of not seeing the twins that prompted the long web chat conversations after Anna went to bed.

Tim was everything that he wasn't. Kind. Loving. Forgiving. All of those things were things that were hard for Gibbs to be. But Tim had forgiven him. He also moved in so he could be around Anna. Gibbs would never have given into someone who had done all the things he had done to Tim.

The worst thing he did was take Anna away from him. Then came the suspicion and coldness. Sleeping with the man and then ignoring him. Taking Anna away again. There was nothing he could do to ever make those things up. But Tim had said giving him visitation rights was a start.

Anna covered her ears with her hands. A.J. was crying and so was Papa. Daddy had taken Petra to the store with him. A.J. wasn't feeling well, neither was Papa. After a quiet argument Papa said that it was okay for Daddy to take Petra to the store. Anna didn't want to go because she knew Papa needed help.

His head hurt a lot. He wouldn't tell Daddy but she saw him grab his head and cry. When she asked him about it he said he just had a headache. He said they were normal and he had them after she was born. It made her feel good when he talked about her being in his belly, like the babies.

Now was a bad day, his head was hurting him. A.J. didn't feel well so he was crying a lot. She tried all of her magic tricks to get A.J. to stop crying. Nothing worked. She just had to wait until Daddy got home. He would know what to do about them.

The migraine meds finally started to work. He had them after Anna but now they were much worse.

He wiped his eyes and composed himself. A.J. was finally calming down. He really didn't want to let Petra out of his sight but he needed the break. Jethro had some errands he needed to run. It wasn't until Jethro picked Petra up and held her that he realized he was hurting him. He was so caught up in his own wants and needs that he didn't notice that Jethro wasn't bonding with the twins. That was his fault, so when Jethro asked again if he could take Petra with him, Tim conceded.

After putting A.J. down for one of his many naps, he turned on the baby monitor and went in search of Anna. She was sitting quietly on the couch; which was unlike her.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Are you still sick?" she asked in return.

She had seen him in the worst of his moods. When the migraines were bad he can't control his emotions. He told her before that they go away but all she really saw was the pain.

"No, I sometimes just get headaches. They hurt but I get over them. But it's just my body trying to get back from having the babies."

He hoped she would understand. Not really having any other way to explain it he changed subjects. "How do you think you daddy is doing with Petra?"

Anna giggled. "I think he'll be bored. She doesn't do anything fun yet." Tim laughed.

They were just starting dinner when they heard Jethro coming in. It wasn't until the man was inside the kitchen that Tim saw his the scowl on his face.

"What happened?" he asked rushing to check on Petra. She looked perfectly fine sleeping in her carrier.

Gibbs ignored the question and walked to the refrigerator to get a beer. He was trying to get over the hit to his pride. He didn't want to tell Tim what had happened. But as soon as he looked at him he could see the worry in his eyes. Gibbs didn't want to tell him but didn't see a way around it.

"A woman at the post office commented how beautiful Petra was. We started talking and then she said- she said my granddaughter was lucky to have me."

He knew he was old enough to have a grandchild but it didn't feel good to have someone point it out. He didn't feel old enough to be a grandfather.

He didn't know what he was expecting from Tim but it wasn't the peals of laughter that was currently escaping him. Brat.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.

Sorry it's taken this long to get the new chapter up. All the reviews are very helpful. If it wasn't for them I would have stopped a long time ago. I'm unsure how long this story will be. But as long as people are enjoying it I'll continue to write it.

Tim withheld the groan when he saw Special Agent Kevin Rollins walking his way. He quickly changed direction and made his way for the elevator. Maybe visiting Abby's lab was a good idea. He pushed the down button, and as he looked up his eyes locked with Rollins. The man started to make his way to the elevator, waving for Tim to hold the doors.

Tim pushed the close button several times, thankfully the doors shut right before Rollins could make it in. He let out a breath. It wasn't that Rollins was a bad person or anything, but when he found out that Tim and Jethro weren't together in a romantic way, he jumped at his chance.

Kevin Rollins was a nice man: forty, brunette, tall and handsome. But he wasn't who Tim wanted. At first he tried to let him down gently. Recently though he had made it obvious that he didn't want the man. It wasn't that Rollins was a stalker or anything, but he was persistent.

The only person he told about Rollins' advances was Abby. She thought it was cute. He was getting tired of it. He hoped soon Rollins would lose interest or find another person to crush on.

He had plans to talk to Dale about the Rollins, next time he called. Dale had finally called… after almost three months of radio silence. He was very sketchy on giving a reason, but apologized for not being there when Tim needed him. He felt selfish after talking to Dale; the man only wanted to help him. He realized it wasn't healthy for Dale to be so involved in his life. He was his best friend, but not his boyfriend. He had been holding Dale back from getting into a relationship of his own. The last time he had talked to Dale it seemed like the man was having a great adventure. He started to get a tad bit jealous, then he looked at his children. They were all he needed. They made his life so much better.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, he made his way down the hall into Abby's lab, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

He knew better to interrupt her when she was working on something. He was on his lunch break and didn't want Rollins to chase him like a lost dog. The man might be bigger than Tim, but he was like a cuddly puppy… just not his puppy. Maybe when Dale got back he would introduce them.

"I was going to see if you wanted to get lunch," he said softly. He hated when people were upset with him. It was a side-effect from his childhood.

"Oh," she said, voice calming. "No, I really need to get this done." She typed away on her computer.

"What are you working on?" he asked curiously. His eyes peeking over her shoulder.

"I'm really busy, McGee," she said dismissively.

Feeling that he was not wanted, he left. He took the back way to the computer labs. Unlike Norfolk it was a lab that was shared with many people. He liked in Norfolk where he felt more connected with Dale. No one in this lab talked to him.

Sure, he heard what they said behind his back. They thought he didn't belong at NCIS. They whispered that he had slept his way into the job. One time, they didn't realize he was still there when they started talking about him. The rumors were that he had slept with Tony to get a referral… slept with Gibbs to get moved to D.C. when he was assigned to Norfolk. They thought he had gotten pregnant on purpose. Now there was a poll on how long it would take him to sleep with Director Vance. He tried not to let it hurt him. But it was hard with all the whispering and sneers.

The only ones who seemed not to know about the rumors were Tony and Jethro. He'd even heard Palmer talking to Bishop about it.

Once Tim got back to his desk he lost himself in work. It wasn't until Jethro tapped him on the shoulder until he realized it was quitting time. He never saw Jethro or Tony during the day because they were in a different department.

"Ready to go?" Jethro asked.

He nodded then shut off his computer. It wasn't until they had picked up the kids from daycare that his bad mood started to dissipate. But unfortunately for him, one of his migraines picked then to start up. So, instead of spending time with the kids, he had to go to bed.

He had put up black, light-canceling curtains in his room. Jethro had been worried the first time he noticed his migraines, but Tim had calmed him. Jethro now kept his own bassinette in his room for when Tim wasn't feeling well for the babies.

Lowering himself on his bed, he put a cold rag on his forehead.

It took all weekend for his migraine to go away. But on Sunday night it was finally gone. He was surprised when he came downstairs and the house was empty. He reached for his phone and called Jethro.

"Gibbs," Jethro's gruff voice said.

"Where are you?" he questioned.

"I took the kids on a walk around the block. Anna is begging for a dog. She even offered the woman down the street one of the babies if she could have one of her puppies. She said they weren't as fun as a puppy but they would be later." Tim heard the amusement in Jethro's voice.

"No dog," he said a little freaked out. Dogs didn't like him and the feeling was mutual.

"Don't worry. There are too many people in the house already." Jethro said.

After disconnecting, those words kept coming back to him. There were too many people already in the house. Did that mean Jethro was just being nice about Tim being there? When he asked him to move in, it seemed he really wanted him to stay. Maybe Tim and the twins being there slowed his social life. But that wasn't right because Jethro said he hadn't dated since Anna was born. But not dating and not having sex were two different things. Tim wasn't naïve enough to think the man hadn't had sex with any women or men in the past six years besides him.

Soon, he could hear the babies crying; Jethro must have gotten back from their walk. It was followed by the usual grunts from Jethro trying to put the double stroller away.

Dinner was quickly put together, and the kids fed. Abby ate her roast, and the twins slurped down their bottles. Only after a very short whine-session, Anna went to bed.

Jethro sat on the couch watching Tim. The babies were having "tummy-time" on a blanket on the floor. While Tim was intent on watching the twins, Jethro was content with enjoying the scenery of Tim.

Feelings that he had been pushing away for a year came forward. He wondered what it would take to get the man to see him more than a co-parent. He knew he had burned the intimacy bridge when he ignored the man and cut him off from his daughter. It was all his fault but he couldn't stop his lust for the man. It wasn't just lust either. He saw the kindness, gentleness and beauty in him. Things that would have been beaten out of any other man in his shoes. But it hadn't been. He had persevered.

"What are you looking at?" Tim asked quietly.

Jethro couldn't believe he was caught staring at him. Honesty was always his way, so that's the way he went.

"You. You're beautiful."

He watched a blush creep up Tim's neck and face. Before he could talk himself out of it, he stood and walked over to Tim. Tim was kneeling beside the couch to keep the babies entertained. Jethro knelt down beside him, placing both hands on his shoulders he turned him towards him. Dipping his head he gently kissed Tim's soft lips.

Tim jerked his head back and stared at Jethro.

"What?" he asked. His mind running in twenty different ways.

"I want you." Jethro leaned back in and kissed him again.

Tim knew he should tell Jethro that it wasn't going to happen. But that didn't happen. What did happen was laying the babies down in their crib in his room, turning on baby monitor and meeting Jethro in his room.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

I do not own NCIS show or characters.

The story started off dark and seems to be going back to the darkish. Hope you still like it.

"Daddy," Anna squealed. "Look what I got." She was waving a blue and white ribbon in front of her.

Tim had taken the day off to because he had a doctor's appointment. They had been together as a couple for the last four months. Everything had been going well. Everything except Tim's migraines. They had gotten progressively worse. It had taken months to convince to him to go to the doctor.

Since Tim wasn't at work Jethro had to pick up the kids from daycare alone. The twins were now seven months old. They were very active and always getting into things. They had also just started crawling. Now that they could follow Anna around, she hid a lot.

Their personalities were getting more defined now. A.J. was a snuggler, he loved to be held and cuddled with; Petra only really liked cuddling when she was tired. Petra loved when Anna played with her while A.J. was a Papa's boy. Everywhere Tim went A.J. wanted to be there with him. Once Tim was home the baby would be attached to his hip.

"What's that?" he asked Anna as she buckled herself up in the booster.

"I won an award for being nice." He looked at the ribbon, it read "Student helper of the month."

"That's wonderful." It was good she was helping out at school.

He buckled A.J. in his seat while Ingrid buckled Petra in. Ingrid worked in the infant room at the daycare.

"Thank you for helping me with the twins," he told her.

After saying goodbye they traveled the ten minutes home. Ever since Anna's kidnapping they were more paranoid. So instead of just a babysitter, they went with a daycare. The children had to be signed out and I.D. shown to anyone they didn't know. There were only five people on the list. Tim, Tim's sister, Ducky, Tony and him.

Once he pulled up to the house he noticed Tim's car wasn't in the drive. That made him feel a little uneasy. Tim's appointment was for 9am, it was almost 6pm now. He had tried to call him several times during the day but it went to voicemail every time.

Anna sat with A.J. while he unhooked Petra and took her inside. He placed her in the playpen and quickly went back to get A.J.

After everyone was inside and playing, he tried Tim again. It still went straight to voicemail. The doctor's office that Tim went to was already closed for the day. So out of panic he called the hospital. He had to throw his authority around a little, but found out no one by the name of Timothy McGee was there.

The panic was full blown now. Going against his better instinct he decided not to have Tim's phone tracked. It seemed a little too controlling. He knew that was one of Tim's issues. He never wanted to feel under the thumb of anyone. It was probably turned off anyway.

A.J. started crying. He was sure it was because he wanted Tim. Tim usually carried A.J. around everywhere he went. Petra would cry if you held her for more than a short walk. She liked to be doing her own thing, which at seven months was try and find things on the ground to eat. Gibbs picked up A.J. but he still whimpered.

The phone rang just as he put A.J. on the carpet beside Petra, who was playing with a sound box.

"Gibbs," he answered gruffly.

"Agent Gibbs?" asked a nervous, feminine voice.

"Yes," he answered.

"My name is Sarah McGee, I'm Tim's sister. I'm on way back to D.C. but my flight's been delayed in Dallas. I was wondering how he is?"

Gibbs was confused by the question but answered it anyway.

"I don't know, I haven't been able to reach him since this morning." There was a small wobble to his voice.

"Didn't the Admiral call you?" She sounded shocked.

"No, why would he?" All his attention on the call now.

"Timmy was in a car accident this morning. I'm his emergency contact. They wouldn't tell me how bad it was. But I don't think he was able to talk. I was too far away so I called our mom. She was going to get a hold of our dad and then call you. That didn't happen?"

"No that didn't happen," he snapped. He knew it wasn't her fault. Tim had told him about his father. He didn't trust the man. "What hospital?"

"Georgetown," she said.

He cursed under his breathe. That was the one he had called. The one that told him there was no Timothy McGee there. He only had one explanation. Admiral McGee.

"What time do you think you'll be here?" He wasn't stupid, if Admiral McGee wanted him in the dark that's where he would be. But the Admiral had two children that didn't agree with him. While he might be shoved out of the room by Tim's father, his sister seemed to actually have Tim's best interest at heart.

"By nine tonight, hopefully. I'll be honest with you, if Dad doesn't want you there you might not get to see him. But I'll have Mom try and talk to him. You have us on your side. I hated you while you were hurting him but I know you have been trying to make it up."

They said their goodbyes and he called Palmer. He and Breena watched the kids when Tim and he wanted to go out. It turned out for the best because DiNozzo was great with one of the kids at a time. Abby got stressed out to much watching them. Ducky said he was too old to watch all of them. But Palmer and Breena were perfect.

It turned out Palmer was working late but Breena would be over to get the kids.

Now all he had to do was get the bags and tell Anna. Tim usually keep two full diaper bags and a backpack ready for Anna. When Gibbs had asked him about it all he was he liked to be prepared. That made Gibbs happy.

Walking through the doors he went right for the area Sarah told him to go. He saw a tall, elegant looking blonde. She was wearing a dress suit. The only thing that made her look distressed was the red blotches over her face. It was clear she had been crying.

"Mrs. McGee?"

"Mrs. Turner now," she corrected. "You must be Jethro." Her weak attempt at a smile faltered and tears started streaming down her face.

"How is Tim?" Sarah hadn't had any information other than where he was.

Tim's mother started sobbing, big heaving sobs. He didn't know what to do, he had never been good with crying women. It also made him more worried about how Tim was.

"He's gone," she choked out.

"What do you mean he's gone?" A cold stone settling in his gut. He knew what she meant, he just didn't want to believe it.

"What she means Agent Gibbs, is that my son is dead. He had an aneurism, wrecked his car. My sources tell me that he had a run in with an interrogation table a while ago. You're lucky if we don't press charges."

He was overcome with grief that what the Admiral was saying barely registered to him.

"That was a year and a half ago," he said numbly.

"So that makes it better. How do we not know if you've been beating him for months?" The Admiral's face was red and angry. The only emotion Gibbs didn't see was sadness. This man couldn't care less that his son was gone.

Tim looked up at the sickly white walls. He had been in the room since he had left the doctor's office. He found out his headaches stress induced. They ran a CAT scan and gave him the all clear. It wasn't until he left that a SUV slammed into the side of him. He woke up in what he could only guess was a clinic's urgent care. It was small. Shouldn't he have been in a big hospital after a wreck? He also had second degree burns on a good portion of his body. Had his car caught fire? He couldn't remember any of that.

"How's my patient doing?"

He looked up and groaned, not all because of the pain. Standing in front of him was Agent Rollins.

"What are you doing here? Where is here?"

"Calm down. I've been paid a lot of money to get you here. I wouldn't want you having a heart attack before I get my money."

This confused Tim, he knew Rollins had a crush on him but this was taking it too far. Wait. Did he say money?

"Who's paying you?" His anger growing.

"I thought you were smarter than this. You haven't figured it out yet. You really do think a lot of yourself. You thought I was following you around like a love sick puppy. God, get over yourself. It's about the money, it always has been. Starting the rumors were a little more difficult. I didn't want Gibbs to break my neck."

Tim heard a door open and close. He was seething, he wanted to strangle Rollins. But the greeting from the new visitor turned his blood cold.

"Hello, Timothy."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Chapter 21

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

Thank you all so much for your continued reviews. I am having so much fun writing this story.

Gibbs was escorted out of the building when he demanded to see Tim's body. Sarah had arrived a little before his unceremonious departure. She was a stoic woman. When Tim had told him stories and showed him pictures he thought of a grown Anna. If Anna was half the woman as Sarah when she was grown he would be one proud father.

Sarah and Tim's mother were told by the Admiral that they shouldn't see Tim's body. He said the fire from the crash had burned him too much. When Gibbs asked to see him that was the end of it. Security had walked him out even with Sarah's objections.

He went home and drank himself into a stupor. For the second time in his life he had lost someone he loved. This time he still had his children but a hole was in his heart none the less. He fell asleep clutching the last photograph they had taken. It was of just him and Tim. Anna had taken it with Tim's digital camera. He was sitting on the couch and Tim's head was in his lap. They had just finished watching a movie that Anna had picked out. Tim had fallen asleep halfway through. When Anna showed Tim the picture he fell in love with it. He said that it showed their love. He printed it off and framed it; it sat right there on Tim's bedside table. But tonight it was his, and the only thing holding him together.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Breena asked Jimmy.

"They are his children. He wants them home with him," he said weakly. He thought Gibbs needed more time but he couldn't fault him for wanting what was left of his family.

Raising his hand, Jimmy knocked on the door. It only took a moment before the door opened. It wasn't Gibbs who answered. It was a young, brunette with red, puffy eyes.

"You must be Sarah," Breena said gently.

Jimmy could have kicked himself. Of course Tim's family would be over. Tim's death was a hit to everyone. They would be planning the funeral and everything else involved.

"Yes," Sarah said sadly. "Where are the children?"

"In the car, we wanted Gibbs to know it was okay if he wanted us to take them back."

"Get. My. Kids," Gibbs said from behind the woman, articulating each word.

They rushed back to the car to get the kids out. Anna was excited to see her fathers. They knew it wasn't their place to tell her about Tim. It was hard changing subjects every time she brought up something fun they had planned. It broke his heart, he didn't want to think about losing Breena or explaining the loss to their child.

The new place was much like the old one. But instead of white walls and a medical equipment, it was just a bed, small desk and chair. He had been in the other place until his burns started to heal. After the first day it was clear his burns weren't as bad as he originally thought. They still hurt but weren't life threating. The doctor told him that only his left leg, where the worst burn was, should scar.

It was after the Admiral arrived on the first day he found out what was planned for him. Conversion Therapy. God, the whole thing was so medieval. Thinking he needed to be fixed. He didn't; he wasn't broken. He stopped living by his father's rules when he was sixteen. There was no way he was going back.

When the Admiral made his appearance, Tim's bit his lip. He knew that reacting in anger without thinking first was not the way to handle his father. That's how he had been moved from the clinic to the new facility. The men his father paid for the move were even more lethal looking than his father on his worst day.

He didn't know what Jethro was thinking but he feared it wasn't good. He had been gone for three weeks. Tim knew his father had very powerful friends. The only way to get out of this and back to Jethro and the kids was to keep a level head. He had already made a friend in the place. The woman was an undercover reporter for a magazine. He didn't know which one, he didn't ask. They had to keep their talks quiet.

"Good Morning, Mr. McGee." Tim cringed. He would take anyone over Lester Coleman. He refused to call the man a doctor. No school was insane enough to give the man a Ph.D. let alone a M.D.

"Are you still here?" he grumbled. He was smart enough just to get a little mouthy. It would earn him an extra hour in the "Dishonor" room though.

The place couldn't be legal, for one he was there against his will. Second, the therapy's they did. He tried to push them out of his mind. Just the thought of some of things they did in the place made him sick. He was an adult, sure of mind and body. But the thought of them doing this to kids, was terrifying.

He was going to make sure the place was shut down, or burned down. He didn't care which, the place was a living hell. But having been in hell in his own mind for so long, he was used to it. It would figure, he had a little happiness just to have it ripped away from him.

Days like this he could feel his children in his arms. It was like they were there, but he couldn't see them. If he listened hard enough he could even hear Jethro. But it was all in his head. No one was going to save him. It was like he was trapped in the van again. Except it wasn't his body being violated, it was his mind.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I'm going to be the one performing your surgery. I hate to cut more than I should."

Tim froze at Lester's menacing words. "What surgery?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"The Admiral made it clear that the abnormal ability to carry offspring caused your immoral lifestyle. I will be fixing what should have been fixed when you were young."

Tim couldn't stop the sob that escaped him. Not only had his father trapped him, then tried to brainwash him. Now he was going to take away any way for him and Jethro to have another child together. His escape plan just went from soon to today.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

Anna finally fell asleep, she had cried herself to sleep. She was sleeping on the couch because she didn't like to be far away from him. As soon as Palmer had dropped her off she started asking about Tim. He couldn't look her in the eye and tell her. It was too hard for him to even wrap his head around, let alone a six year old.

So instead of telling her the truth and getting it out there, he avoided the question. He wasn't a liar, he felt it was always best to shoot from the hip. But it all seemed to change with his children. When he had lost Shannon and Kelly, his world collapsed on itself, but he was an adult. He knew he had no choice but to tell her. The questions continued until finally he told her that Tim had died and went to heaven. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since. She prayed every night that her papa would come home.

Sarah was staying with them until they could work out a funeral. Admiral McGee wasn't letting anyone else near Tim's body. Tim's mother was threating legal action. But the legal system was moving at a snail's pace. Gibbs was sure by the time a judge heard from her, Tim's body would already have been cremated.

"Jethro," Sarah called from the kitchen.

He went to see what she wanted. Inside she had A.J. on her hip clinging to her blouse. A.J. was growing attached to Sarah but still cried at for Tim. It only had only been two weeks. He knew the babies wouldn't remember Tim, and that made him sad. He preferred that to what Anna was going through.

He saw Petra in her high chair, eating cereal. It wasn't shocking that A.J. wasn't in his. He had started having bad separation issues according to the doctor. When A.J. starting crying no matter what he did, he consulted his doctor. The doctor said soon A.J. would start to depend on others and his anxiety would calm.

"What's up?" he asked Sarah. It looked like she was cooking dinner.

"Dad's lying," she said coolly.

That gave Gibbs pause. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what he's lying about but he's lying. My dad is an asshole, no doubt. But when he kicked Tim out, he cried. I wasn't supposed to know but I heard him. In his messed up head, it was his way of showing love. He always thought Tim carrying a child made him weak.

"After he told us of Tim's death - there was nothing. He wasn't sad. I know my father. He was proud that day, his face was one of winning. I don't want to get your hopes up. But I don't think Tim's dead."

Raw. That's the only word he could describe how he was feeling. After being told about the surgery he had upped his exit plan. He knew his father, he would choose to have a dead son over one he saw as severely flawed. That was why he hadn't made any attempt to free himself. Yet.

The plan needed to be thought through and carried out perfectly. But things change, because he was not going to be cut up by Jack the Ripper.

Things had gotten a little more difficult though. As soon as Lester told him about the surgery, a guard was put on him. The man was huge, six-four at least. He had the look of ex-military. If Tim were to make a guess he was a Marine. Tim refused to beg the man though. He wouldn't cower to anyone anymore.

"So how does it feel to go from protecting your country to taking rights away from people?" he asked the man.

He was thinking on his feet. His plan was to get the man upset enough for him to act on rage instead of thinking.

"I'd shut up if I were you," the man sneered.

There was something in the big man's eyes that told Tim he needed to shut up. But this was try or die time.

"Why? Scared of little old me?" he taunted.

"Shut it, kid," the guard snapped. The man's face was impassable while his words were cold.

"Does this make you feel like a big man? You know what they say about the biggest homophobes, right?" he said, pushing more. But the man's face stayed calm and relaxed.

"Look kid, you really need to shut up." He was about to say something else when the door swung open.

Lester walked in with his assistant, Corina. Corina was an older woman that reminded him of his first grade teacher. She wore her stringy grey hair in a tight bun. She didn't have any medical training as far as he could see.

"We just finished your tests. You needed to drink this before the surgery," Lester said holding out a small cup.

"Patients aren't supposed to have liquid before their surgery." He didn't want the surgery but couldn't figure out what Lester was playing at.

"Just drink it. It will make everything much easier." Lester's face was red and blotchy.

"What's in it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just a little something to take care of your current condition," Corina said soothingly.

"What condition? Being held prisoner?"

Corina looked over at Lester pleadingly. Tim didn't know what to think about it.

"It's to end the pregnancy," she said softly.

"I'm not pregnant," he said loudly. He couldn't be, they were very careful after the surprise of the twins.

"You are barely pregnant, this medicine will fix it. Then you can have this evilness removed from your body." Tim didn't know if Lester was talking about the baby or his ability to carry.

He was just about to start panicking when the lights flickered and the place went dark. Corina started screaming like a banshee. Her scream was muffled by her hand when they heard sirens. There were heavy footfalls outside of his door and down the hallway. He could hear yelling from the others in the facility. It seemed like the end of time. But he had hope that they were being rescued. He had only seen a couple of the others held there. They were all teenagers. It seemed his father was the only one with enough pull to kidnap an adult.

"What the hell is going on?" Lester yelled, he was looking at the guard.

The guard just struggled, looking unconcerned by the turn of events. Tim could see how the man was an asset in the combat, he looked unshakable.

Lester suddenly lunged at Tim, slugging him in the face. Tim looked up into the man's eyes as he loomed over him. It became clear that the man had plans to put an end to Tim's life. It seemed like the man thought Tim's whole existence hurt him personally. His head banged into the floor with the second hit. Just before he blacked out he saw the guard putting Lester in a chokehold. Even while his sight was darkening, he could have sworn he saw a pleased glint in the guard's eyes, as the other man slowed his struggle down.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

I don't own the show NCIS or Characters.

Thank you all for the kind reviews. To so that I really am trying to keep up with the ones who like it I spent most of the morning writing. So I hope you like this chapter also.

"How are you holding up?" Holden asked.

Gibbs looked up at his old friend. Geoff Holden was six-four of solid steel. He was quite a few years older than Holden. The man had cool grey eyes and short blond hair.

Holden had contacted him out of the blue. Gibbs had just started to think there was truth to Sarah idea. It was then Holden told him about a job he had taken. Holden always did things a little outside of the box. He was hired by the family of boy who had died in the facility. It became clear that they were being covered by people in high places. They couldn't even get an investigation going.

The family of the boy was his mother and step-father. It turned out the boy's father was the one that put him there. It was only after the boy died that he knew his mistake. But then it was too little too late. The boy had died from organ failure and blood loss. The people at the facility tried forced sterilization on him. The kid was used as practice. Hearing from Holden, he found out how close Tim became a test subject for the crazed men and women at the facility.

Holden had no idea about Tim being with him. It wasn't until he overheard Tim arguing with the doctor that he put two and two together. It happened faster than lighting after that. As soon as he was off the phone with Holden he had Fornell on phone.

Fornell got the go ahead from the locals and had a team together within the hour.

Gibbs was forced by DiNozzo and Fornell to wait at the hospital. When they brought in the patients from the facility. Tim was the last to be brought in.

When Holden told him about the pregnancy he had flipped. The doctors wanted to wait until Tim was awake, so he could consent to some of the tests.

Sarah had the kids at home waiting for his call. As soon as he saw that Tim was okay, he would call and have her bring them. Tim's mom was flying in. The doctor was worried about Tim's stress level. His blood-pressure was higher than he would like.

They wanted Gibbs to wait in the waiting area until they got it down, or until Tim woke up. Neither had happened as of yet.

He shook his head, clearing it to answer. "He's alive. I'm on cloud nine right now." It was the truth.

"He's a made of stone. He wouldn't let Lester win, no matter how scared he was. He even tried baiting me into a fight," Holden said with a chuckle.

"He hates that some people treated like less of a man. You are right though, he is stronger than anyone I know. Can you imagine going through everything he has? Brandon Stacks." To that Holden raised his eyebrow, Gibbs continued. "His father forcing him to give up Anna. His whole life with his ex, then everything that followed. If that stuff happened to anyone else they would be crazy by now." Holden looked genuinely impressed.

"I need to head out. I'm supposed to make a statement to the FBI," Holden said before leaving.

It was only a few minutes later a tired looking nurse found him.

"Mr. Gibbs, he's awake and asking for you."

His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Two weeks ago, in this very hospital, he had been told Tim had died. Now he was going to see him again, hold him, love him. He wasn't ever going to let the man out of his sight again. He hoped when they talked to Tim they would have enough on his dad. As it stood now old man kept his name out of everything. The people who ran the facility were keeping their mouths shut about their investors. But he had faith in Fornell in breaking them.

He followed the nurse into a semi private room. One bed was empty and the other had the curtain drawn. He slowly walked over to the curtain and opened it. His breath caught when he saw him there. Alive. Whole. It looked like he had some healing burns on his arms but he was perfect.

"Jethro," Tim cried out when he saw him.

He walked on shaky legs over to the bed and wrapped Tim up in his arms.

"The doctor wants to run tests. It looks like the night before I the accident you gave me a present," Tim said, laughing.

"We'll see what the doctor says. By the way, your children missed you terribly."

"Go get them, I need to see them."

"Sarah is bringing them right as we speak. You're sister has been a life saver. She put her whole life on hold to help with the kids," Gibbs said rubbing circles into Tim's back.

"That's Sarah for you."

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up. They had you on a lot of drugs. That much during early pregnancy can cause miscarriages or birth defects. I have to ask. Do you want to continue the pregnancy?" Dr. Hernandez asked Tim.

Gibbs was outside giving them privacy. Tim wasn't sure he was ready for another baby but he would love it. He decided to just let what happens happen. He would be upset if he lost the baby but he couldn't do anything about that. He would have to talk to Jethro about if the baby had serious birth defects. But the baby was still their baby; so he didn't see them not agreeing.

After the doctor left Jethro came back in, he was holding Petra. Sarah was holding A.J. and Anna was trailing behind her.

As soon as Anna saw him she ran for him. Jumping on the bed and wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"I missed you so much," she cried.

She pulled away and her eyes widened when she saw the burns. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm okay, they don't hurt," he lied. She didn't need to know that they hurt, but they were getting better. Some didn't even need to be covered.

Jethro put Petra on the bed and she crawled up to his chest. He thought for a moment she wanted to cuddle and that shocked him. But then she proved she hadn't changed. Her goal was to try and yang out IV in his hand.

Sarah tried to hand him A.J. but he wouldn't let go of her. He had only been gone two months, not long enough for them to forget him.

"Just let him warm up to the idea. It's been really hard on the children. Anna is big enough to sort of understand, he's just so little," Sarah said smoothly. He had never been more jealous of his sister than he was in that moment. He clung to the two that still wanted him – even though one seemed to be trying to gnaw the call button.

"I talked to Mom. Dad seems to be getting off scotch free. The only evidence will be your word. Gibbs friend never saw your dad and neither did the reporter," Sarah said while soothing the baby.

Jethro cursed and Tim paled. His dad was going to get away with it. That meant he could come after him again, maybe even kill him this time.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Chapter 24

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

Tim signed out of the hospital against medical advice. Jethro didn't want him there because of the false information. He wasn't allowed to work on the case because of his involvement. It was out of NCIS hands anyway. It wasn't going to stop him from making sure Tim was safe.

Anna had yet to let go of him. It only took an hour for A.J. to become attached to Tim again. Even Petra wanted to be held by him a little longer than usual.

Once they were back home everything seemed to settle. Jethro wouldn't let Tim do much. He sat on the couch and was pampered. The babies played on the floor. Every so often A.J. would come over and want to be picked up. Anna was on the other end of the couch chatting about things he had missed.

The doctor told him to take it easy because of the pregnancy. He said the stress of the last three weeks wasn't good for the baby. Tim almost laughed in the man's face and said it wasn't a picnic for him either, but he held his tongue. He wanted to give the baby the best possible chance.

"Someone is lying," Jethro growled into the phone.

Tim looked up from the couch. Jethro had called around to find out what was happening with to the hospital staff. He said that because of the lies and death pronouncement some higher -up was in on it. Tim gave all the information he could.

He had told them he had just left the hospital when he was hit in the passenger's side. His car flipped, and before he knew what was happening he was dragged out of the car and into a van. After that everything got a little hazy until he awoke in the clinic. He had no name for the clinic so there was no one to ask to prove his dad was there.

It also seemed Rollins had disappeared once Tim had been found. Jethro had promised to take care of that personally. Tim didn't want to dwell on the past. He was just glad to be home and safe. He was still terrified that his father would do something else. He had a meeting with a lawyer the next day to give Jethro his medical power-of-attorney. Sarah also knew now that she was never allowed to call their father regarding Tim.

Tim had made the rule when they got home that they weren't to discuss what happened to him. He wasn't ready to relive the fear of the "treatments" yet. He just wanted to spend time with his children and Jethro. Jethro had taken the rest of the week off. Everything looked to be turning around now. He was pregnant again but this time Jethro would be there through the pregnancy.

Dale quietly entered the closed off room. No one was allowed in without a keycard. He had been working in this particular building for only two months. His assignment had started ten months ago. He was supposed to have another month before he had to leave. But his plans were changed quickly, and if he knew then what he knew now he wouldn't have accepted the assignment. Taking down a corrupt Naval Officer was one thing…. but this was getting out of control.

It all started with him and three others looking into the activities of Vice Chief Naval Operations, one Admiral Horace Van Lear. That started the ball running. So far they had two other Admirals, one being his friend (Tim's father), also involved. There were lower-ranking officers and high ranking officers in the Air Force and Army involved. There was a tech from CID (U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Department) and one from OSI (U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations). The last of their motley crew was the tech from the lovely CIA.

No one was to know about their work. They were only allowed to call home once every so often and it was always had to be in the room with the other techs. No single person was to be trusted. They each had to put in their code for the system to come online. They answered directly to the Vice President of the United States. Their superiors all were told they were overseas. That was where they thought they were going.

Then one day they were taken by men in black to their office. The men didn't say anything, just left them with instructions and a number. They had been living in the same small building for eight months. Then two months ago they were moved again. This time it wasn't cloak and dagger because they were in on it. The building they were in was in danger because of an attempted break-in.

He trusted his other techies. He wasn't supposed to but they were all in this together. They were working to take down the "evil empire" as Kirby said. Kirby was the tech from the CIA. He was still green behind the ears, it was probably the reason they picked him, no alliances besides to the U.S. government.

Kirby was the one to tell him about what Admiral McGee was up too. While imprisoning his son and trying to have him surgically modified was awful they couldn't do anything. But thankfully NCIS and the FBI had it under control. He was happy for his friend to get free. Even though it looked like some of their work would put Tim behind bars for a very long time. The baby face and sweet temperament was misleading. Timothy McGee was a cold and calculating extortionist.

Dale didn't care one way or another about most of the men he targeted. But there was a difference between extorting because of true things and making them look true. He would have never guessed his friend could be so devious. He must be keeping the money hidden because he acted like he didn't really have a cent to his name. It made him wonder what else the man was keeping hidden.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Chapter 25

I don't own the show NCIS or characters.

Thank you all for the reviews. They make me want to keep writing. It really helps to know that someone likes it. Some wanted more McGee and Gibbs, this is a little more of their interacting. I hope the S/L isn't too confusing. Dale isn't bad, he is not working for Admiral McGee. He is the only one that has to be unbiased, well him and the three others. Oh yeah. I'm making up all these procedures. I know most of this stuff is impossible. Again thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Tim was so mad he could barely function. His father was going to get off; that much was clear. Rollins was finally picked up but said the abduction was his idea. He said he thought that Tim needed to find "the true way". It was all bull, everyone knew that but wouldn't say so.

He had a mind to hack into his father's accounts to prove it. But that wouldn't be legal and they wouldn't be able to use it against him. He didn't want to mess up the investigation on the people that ran the facility. It was going to be a long while before he felt safe again.

The pregnancy was still continuing. He wasn't getting his hopes up but it did seem like the little bean was sticking. Only being six weeks anything could happen. Jethro seemed to be excited about being there from almost the beginning. They had just told Anna that he needed to be careful.

"Babies are down," Jethro said, coming down the stairs. Anna was out shopping with Sarah, who was scheduled to leave the next morning.

"A.J. give you any trouble?" he asked. He had gotten A.J. to sleep downstairs but transitioning was never easy for him.

"Yep," Jethro said, grinning like a fool as he sat down on the couch beside Tim.

Tim felt his bad mood melt away when Jethro put his arm around him. He had accepted early on in their relationship that Jethro wasn't big on the emotional stuff. The bedroom was one place that he showed how he really felt about Tim. Outside of it, he treated Tim like a friend. But then there were times like this. Times where Jethro's emotions were open and freely given. Tim loved these times.

He snuggled down into Jethro's arms. They turned on the TV and started watching a movie. Neither Tim nor Jethro really cared for TV but Anna liked to watch cartoons on it.

"You seem happy," Jethro said.

"I am. While I was in that place, I just wanted to be home. I missed you all so very much." Tim rubbed his hand over his stomach. It scared him how close he came to losing the baby.

Noticing the action, Jethro spoke up. "Are you happy about the baby?"

Gibbs looked at the younger man. He wouldn't have chosen to have another baby so soon. In truth he thought that Anna and the twins were more than enough. He wasn't a spring chicken anymore. As it was he would be nearing seventy when this baby was eighteen.

"I can't say it's something I planned on. But knowing now, I wouldn't change it."

Gibbs felt a pang a guilt because he would have. Now the baby was on the way he would raise and love it. But if he had the choice, he wouldn't wish Tim to be pregnant again.

Realizing the conversation might get a little hurtful he decided to ask an easier question.

"So do you want a girl or boy?"

"I don't care as long as the baby is healthy. A girl would even out the boy/girl ratio but a little boy would be just as loved. Really it makes no difference to me." Tim lightly rubbed his stomach. There was still a little weight from the twins but it was too early for this one to show yet.

Gibbs couldn't help but get a feeling of dread. He was going to have to call DiNozzo later to follow up on something for him.

"There is something I don't get. Why would all these other people get into so much trouble just to "fix" you?" The word fix felt bitter on his tongue.

"I don't have the slightest idea," Tim said, his sincerity shining through.

Gibbs couldn't keep his hands off the man a minute more. He pulled Tim into a kiss. It started out chaste but deepened. He quickly pulled the man up and took him into the bedroom.

"What's up, boss?" Tony asked into the phone. Gibbs was off for the rest of the week taking care of McGee.

"I need you to do me a favor." Tony heard the resigned way the man spoke.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I need a full background check on someone. See if you can get Abby to get into juvie records too."

"Boss, they are sealed; it would be illegal," Tony pointed out, getting a bad feeling.

"I know it is, just do it," Gibbs demanded.

"Sure, who?" he placated.

"Tim," Gibbs said quietly.

Tony almost couldn't believe his ears. Tony had known Tim since he was seventeen. Whatever Gibbs wanted to find, he was going to be underwhelmed. McGeek did nothing out of the line. He got wild once and it lead to his worst nightmare. After that McGee was the poster boy for hall monitor of the year.

"Okay," he told Gibbs. It wasn't his place to argue with Gibbs, and anyway he preferred his head on his shoulders.

After disconnecting he ran the background check on Tim. Abby had come through and gotten the sealed file. Like Tony, she didn't like it. There was nothing on it except getting pulled over with a roach in the car. It wasn't his car and it wasn't his drug paraphilia. His mom had come and got him while the friend gotten community service.

The background check lacked anything that could be called sketchy. The boy was almost saintly in his college years. The only thing that was a little off was that he was questioned about his professor's side job. It turned out that Professor Jamison was extorting money from some big time players in the world of politics.

Tony knew things that weren't in the background check. He was the one Tim had called when he was realized his mistake. It was obvious to him that the good professor was making Tim his scapegoat.

Tim at the time was still too naïve, even after his attack. He trusted Dominic Jamison and that trust was abused. All Tim had done was decode an encrypted file for the good professor. He was so excited when the professor singled him out for Tim had called Tony as soon as he saw what was in the file. Tony had told him not to touch it anymore and let him take care of it. Tony had called the local LEO's and had them look into what Tim had seen. It didn't go anywhere for another month when someone tried to blackmail Senator Lucas. Ever since then the good professor had been trying to get anyone to listen to him. He was still blaming the Tim.

Tony had asked before what was on the file. Tim had told him that he didn't want to talk about it. That was what the police questioned him about. The file was found when they searched the computers. Tim had told him he didn't read it. But Tony knew that was a lie. He just didn't know why Tim would lie about it.

Holden quietly slipped through the door. He groaned when he saw who was sitting on his couch. He would have to up his security again. He knew it was a mistake to bring one night stands home with him.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get out of solitary?" He knew the man wasn't allowed outside of his office building.

"I've got something to tell you," Dale said biting his lower lip. Holden didn't know what was going on but he was sure he wasn't going to like it.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Chapter 26

I don't own the NCIS show or characters.

Ten Months earlier

Dale hated dropping off Tim at Agent Gibbs' house. He didn't really like the man but Tim was so desperate to be a real family. He wanted to be in Anna's life and just not on the weekend.

Walking into the house he threw his keys on the table. He had a month before he was to leave on his assignment. Not knowing what he was going to be doing was a little intimidating.

He had just settled down on his couch when someone started pounding on the door. Opening the door he saw a huge, dark skinned man. He was wearing all black like he was trying out for cat burglar number one. But looking at the man he knew better than to make the joke.

"Can I help you?" he asked as politely as he could pull off.

"Are you Dale Michaels?" The man's deep voice rumbled when he spoke.

"Who's asking?" he asked coolly.

"You have ten minutes to pack. Please do not call anyone. I am moving you to your work destination. I work for Deleco Security. I've been hired to escort you." The man pulled something out of his jacket. "This is the instructions that you are to follow. I do not know what is in this envelope so please do not ask me about it."

Dale took the envelope from the man and opened it. It had very little details but it was the seal that confirmed it was authentic, it was the vice president's seal.

He quickly packed up a couple days of clothes. He always could wash them. His important stuff was in his laptop bag.

In the car the man made him give him his phone. For some odd reason he wasn't scared. He wasn't prone to fear in the first place. He was raised by a single father. His mother had died of massive heart failure following his birth. He had three older brothers. His dad believed that because of his mom being so sick when she was pregnant with him was the reason he has always been small. He really couldn't fault the man. His dad and all his brothers were over six foot tall. He was the short, thin one.

His dad was big on teaching his boys to defend themselves. He didn't want them to pick fights but get out of them. His oldest brother Cameron was a civil engineer while the twins, Iggy and Piggy, owned their own construction company. It wasn't big or anything but it seemed to be going well for them. Of course they were the only full-time employees.

Iggy's real name being Kyle and Piggy's being Peter. The story was that Dale called Peter, Piggy instead of Petey like everyone else did. The twins were identical so he called one Piggy and the other Iggy. It just seemed to stick.

"What's your name?" he asked the stranger. The trip was taking a while. It looked like they were headed to D.C.

"That's not important."

"Well, so much for conversation," Dale muttered.

Once the car started to slow down he looked around. It looked like they were in some warehouse district, most looking abandoned.

He was quickly shuffled upstairs and joined his new co-workers. The security detail turned into just one guy in a security office. The man in charged seemed to not trust anyone with too much information. It looked like each person had part of the picture but no one person had the whole picture.

If Dale had to pick his favorite co-worker it would be Kirby. Kirby came from the CIA but was brand spankin' new. Dale didn't like to admit it but he seemed to be better than him. He looked like he could give Tim a run for his money.

Dale was friendly with the other two also. Frankie was a tall, bespectacled woman with short hair. Really short hair, it looked like she had shaved not long ago. She was from CID. Then there was Mendoza, a soft spoken, gentle man. His hair was a little shaggy- nowhere close to as shaggy as his own. Mendoza didn't talk much but when he did, you listened. He was from OSI and seemed to be the oldest of the four at around forty.

He had been there for two months the first time he saw Tim's name come up on his hacking. He had already found a bunch of stuff on his father. He hoped to get enough to put the man away, he was a horrible father from the stories Tim told him.

Unfortunately he was working with Frankie when he found the information. Frankie had latched onto the information and would let go. For the first time he was getting upset with her. To him it looked like Tim was taken advantage of by his teacher. It didn't matter what Dale told her she would stop. He pointed out that he was let go by the cops. They only just questioned him. The professor was the one with the red hands. She just kept talking about needed to see the file. It gave him an uneasy feeling so he tried to work with only Kirby or Mendoza after that.

Dale was so upset with himself. He had fallen for her lies. It all looked so realistic. He knew it wasn't her that set up the dummy accounts. That meant she had to have had someone working on the outside. They weren't kept prisoner in the building but they needed security to go with them anywhere. Something was very fishy, like when someone tried to break into the last place.

He had been able to talk to Tim a couple times but it was only about the children. When Kirby told him about the facility he had almost lost it. He was in luck that it was around the time Tim was rescued. He didn't know what he would do but he couldn't let the men hurt Tim. It helped that it put another nail in Admiral McGee's coffin though.

The whole cloak and daggers thing was getting old. They were able to break into the video feed. He saw Holden watching over Tim. He didn't know why Holden was there but trusted to man to not let Tim get hurt. When Holden had picked him up from his house and moved him he was a little scary. But he had talked to the man, even getting his name while he was on duty.

Holden had stopped coming into the office. That was until they had to move. Holden personally helped him. It led to a very fun night for both of them. Nothing had happened since then though. It hurt his feelings a little but that's how one night stands happen.

The day after Tim's rescue he knew he had to act. Frankie was out of control. He no longer believed anything she said. She was working for someone but he was always under surveillance unless he had security with him. He had Troy escort him to Holden's house. Troy told him they were roommates. He missed having Tim as a roommate. He missed Tim something terrible. He hadn't even gotten to see a picture of the kids. Living in the office building was isolating. All four slept in a large office that had four futons on it.

The news came in earlier- they had to turn in their files and leave. Their jobs were waiting for them when they got back. Now his goal was to protect his friend, Tim. The man had been through more than anyone twice his age. Dale had a lot to atone for thinking the worst of Tim. True it was only for a few days but that was Frankie's plan.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Chapter 27

I don't own the show NCIS or Characters.

I wrote in another character that I liked and missed from the show. I hope you all like it.

Tim stood frozen to the spot in the kitchen. He had just gotten up to make bottles for the twins. Petra was up already and quietly playing in her crib but A.J. was still asleep. But he knew soon they would both be screaming.

Tony had been by to pick up Jethro. Jethro didn't want him to be without a car with the twins, and since his was a smoldering heap at a junkyard, he was using Jethro's. Tim wasn't about to drive though. The wreck had terrified him.

He had talked to his boss and was supposed to start back next week. Director Vance was very understanding, or very scared of Jethro, he wasn't sure which.

He had just come downstairs for the bottles when he heard his phone ring. Seeing it was his sister he answered it right away. He wished now he would have just let it go to voicemail. But now his father was no longer a problem. He didn't want this to happen, not this way. There was always a part of him that was still the little boy wanting his father's approval. Now that approval would never come, it was all gone. The man that he saw was bigger than life wasn't taken down by enemy fire. He wasn't taken out by accident or fall. No, he was taken down by his own body. Heart attack. He had seen his father weeks ago and the man looked in perfect health, and a lot sadistic.

"Papa," Anna called bringing him out of his shock.

He looked up to see Anna standing in front of him. She had tears running down her face. She was dressed for school. He looked over at the clock on the microwave. 6:34 am. She had ten minutes before the bus was supposed to be there.

"What's wrong?" he asked pushing his own feelings away.

"I don't wanna go to school. The kids are mean to me, they call me names," she sobbed.

Tim was blown away, Anna had never said anything about bullying. She always seemed to like going to school and her friends.

He had to go to his father's house in Cape Charles. Even with everything his father had done he still felt a sense of responsibility. For one his sister was a mess, she had been there for him, he had to be there for her. His mother was on a cruise with her husband. He thought she needed it after all the stress. From what he understood from Sarah his grandmother was on her way too. Unlike her son, his grandmother, Penny was an activist and free spirit.

When he found out he was pregnant with Anna he considered calling Penny. But then he just thought of how disappointed she would be. He had even convinced himself that she would blame him. He was in such a bad place then he felt lost. Penny was the one person that had never let him down but he couldn't risk it. She was too important to him; he couldn't bear to see shame and disgust in her face.

He would have to take the kids with him anyway. There was no way he would be back before Anna got out of school. Anyway, it looked like she needed a mental health day. Going to grieve a grandfather she never knew wasn't really the best but it would have to do.

"Go get your tablet," he told her. It would keep her busy when things got too intense.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"We're going to see Aunt Sarah." He sighed. "Come here," he said gently. Once she was in his lap he told her about her grandfather. The condensed version, nothing horrible. Just that he had passed away and they were going to be there for Aunt Sarah and Great Grandma Penny. She should really like to be called that.

After Anna went to go collect some things, he tried to call Jethro. It went right to voicemail. He left a message telling the man where they were going to be. He then quickly fed the babies and Anna, then got everyone ready to leave. He had to force himself into the car. Keeping an eagle eye on the road, he made his way to Cape Charles. He tried to ignore the cramps in his lower belly. He didn't even want to think about what that meant.

When Tim pulled up to his father's house he recognized his sister's car. The other one could only be described as an eyesore, it must be Penny's.

"Anna, wake up," he said softly. He didn't want to wake the babies.

"Are we there?" she asked yawning loudly.

"Yes," he said before calling Sarah's phone.

"Tim," the strained voice said.

"I'm outside, Sarah."

"On my way," she said before disconnecting.

A.J. started to whimper, so he unbuckled him and picked him up. The baby quietened down rather quickly. Petra was still sound asleep.

Sarah rushed out the door and swooped Anna up in her arms. Tim could tell she was trying not to cry holding the child. It suddenly hit him that his father was really gone. Clutching on to A.J. he sunk to the ground. Resting his back against the back tire he started to cry softly. It wasn't until A.J. was gently pulled from his arms that he stopped. Penny was taking the baby out of his hold, he noticed Sarah was holding Petra.

How long had he been crying?

"Come on, darlin' let's go inside," Penny said smoothing his hair back with her free hand.

When he walked into the house he was greeted with a confusing sight. Inside was a short red-headed woman that looked around forty, she was heavily pregnant. The woman looked like she had been crying too.

"Timmy, meet Jenny. She married Dad last year," Sarah said gently. It felt like someone threw ice water on him.

He hadn't known his father remarried. It shouldn't have been surprising, his mother had years ago. It just never dawned on him that his father still had a life of his own. He guessed it was because during his whole childhood the man only cared about the Navy. Jethro and Tony looked into his dad's life, they must have known but chose not to tell him. Great, just great. He was being treated like a child.

"I'm sorry to be meeting this way," he greeted her.

Jenny's eyes took in her stepson. He hadn't been at all what she was expecting. They way John described the man he was fragile, weak and slow. True she had only just meet him but he was a tall, well-built man in his twenties. He did have a little bit of a belly but he had twins only ten months ago. When she had her first child it took two years to lose all the weight. But she had known Jethro for years, it would take a strong person to get him to settle.

She had joined NCIS after her first husband passed away. She had been waiting for the acceptance when he fell ill. Then just a year ago she met John, and fell for him. He swept her off her feet. He was able to keep her in the dark about his bigotry. He had told her about his son but she thought he would get over it. When she told him she was pregnant he seemed to get crazy. It only got worse when he found out she was having a boy. It was then he told her the truth about his son. About him being able to give birth. She then saw her husband for who he really was. Evil. He started ranting about what he would do if the baby had the same "abnormality". She packed her things and left. Her daughter was a freshman at Dembraugh, an all-girls boarding school. She never wanted her children to know such hate existed.

Then a week ago John's daughter, Sarah, called her. She said that John had his own son kidnapped. That he was had the boy taken and tried to have him brainwashed. Then was trying to have him cut up and made so he couldn't get pregnant again. It was all so awful to even think about.

Now here she was looking at the man. A perfectly nice man with beautiful children. A part of her was glad John was gone, so he couldn't hurt his children anymore. The one she was carrying being included in that.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

I don't own NCIS or the characters.

 

It was a domino effect, after Admiral McGee died everyone's secrets started coming out. The walls that they had built around them came tumbling down with a click of the mouse. The first arrests started just days after his father's funeral. Tim wasn't surprised his dad was dirty but he was shocked with how deep everything went.

He had been pulled in, to be questioned. He was questioned about when he was still in school. Luckily for him he hadn't done anything more than decode the file. They had badgered him for a couple hours but finally let him go. Professor Jamison on the other hand was getting a visit by the authorities at that very moment. It wouldn't be hard to find him, he had been locked up for the past four years in minimum security lockup.

It had been a month since his father had died. Tim was still trying to accept that his father was never going love him for the man he was. It was something that was going to end with him. He didn't care what his children did with their lives, he would love them unconditionally.

Already two months along with number four and he still felt ambivalent about the pregnancy. One minute he was excited about it, then the next Jethro would say something to make him doubt things. It didn't help that Jethro had gone in and had a vasectomy a week ago.

Tim was upset because Jethro didn't even consult him about it. It started an argument that ended with Jethro saying it wasn't like they were married. So Tim had been sleeping on the couch since. It was still tense around the house.

The only plus was that Dale was back from his assignment. They had dinner just last night. Dale was going on and on about his new guy. He refused to say they were dating just seeing each other, causally. When Tim asked what he had been working on he got shut down. It was okay, Tim knew some things couldn't be talked about. It happened a lot with Jethro.

"Papa," Anna cried running into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Lately she had been having a lot emotional days. Tim thought it was because she was feeling the tension between her parents.

"I don't feel good," she whined.

He kissed her forehead checking her temperature. She did feel a little warm.

He took her temp with the ear thermometer. Her temp was slightly above normal. He set her up on the couch and put on her favorite show. Unless she was actively sick he wouldn't give her anything. It was one of the things he agreed with his father about. He wanted her immune system to work on its own.

The twins were out with Jethro at the store. The man decided to brave the world with two one-year olds. Tim was sure it was just to show him up. He tried to do his shopping when Jethro was home to watch the kids.

"Sir, you really shouldn't put your baby in the cart like that," the store employee reprimanded Gibbs.

"How do you suggest I shop with two toddlers without using the basket of the cart?" he asked.

Petra was seated in the toddler seat while A.J. was in the basket part. He was quietly sitting and playing with a doll. When they had gotten to the store he was hoping they would have the cart with the double seats. But it looked like it was being used. So he had to choose between being inventive or going home. He didn't want to see the smug look on Tim's face.

"Sir, we provide carts with two seats for todd-

"You have one, but it's in use right now. What options do I have now?" he interrupted.

After a few more back and forth arguing the employee must have decided it was useless because he went back to work after it.

Both the babies babbled to each other while he shopped. Petra seemed to have her heart set on opening the cereal box. He tried to put it out of her reach but they worked against him. Once the box was in the cart with A.J., he would push it up so she could grab it.

In truth he just needed to get away from the house for a while. Ever since he found out Tim was pregnant again he started to worry. That was what led him to the vasectomy. He didn't tell Tim because he didn't really think it was any of his business. He was too old to start with more babies. They already had the one on the way.

He wasn't looking forward to the new baby. He didn't really know how to tell that to Tim. Anna and the twins were all he needed. After Kelly died he didn't think he could ever be whole again. But then Anna came into his life, now the twins he felt a little pieces of him start to rebuilt. Then after he found out about the new baby he couldn't look Tim in the eye.

Tim had worked so hard to have a family and work. Now he was carrying again. He had to have the procedure or Tim would never forgive him. But it looked like it was all in vain because Tim was already so upset with him. Why was it when it was Tim's body, Tim made all the decisions but when it was him, it was a group decision?

He quickly finished his shopping and loaded the kids into the car. He knew he had to suck it up and apologize, even though he didn't do anything wrong. Tim was going on nights now in cyber-crimes. He wasn't really sure what Tim did but Vance seemed pleased with his work. He was even talking about giving him a lead in his own assignment, which was big for someone so new.

After he checked out and wrangled the kids into the car he headed home. He just hoped that Tim would just let go of being pissed off at him.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Chapter 29

I don't own NCIS or the Characters.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Tim pushed the double stroller while Anna sprinted towards the slide. The park was close enough for them to walk, which was good. It got him out of the house on weekends. This stage of his pregnancy all he wanted to do was strangle Jethro.

He didn't suffer from morning sickness with this one. It made him happy just that he wasn't sick all the time but it was also making him worried. With Anna and the twins he was always sick. He worried that this pregnancy wouldn't be viable. Every time he expressed his worries to Jethro would tell him it was still early. Ten weeks with the twins he couldn't walk to his car without getting sick.

He tried to focus on the beautiful day instead of his worries. Anna was hogging the slide but there were no other children there. In fact the only other person at the park was Mr. Norris. He had met Mr. Norris before his dad had him locked up. The old man just came to the park to feed the birds.

He pushed the stroller next to the bench where the withered old man was sitting. Mr. Norris smiled up and him and shifted over some. Tim sat down beside him; Mr. Norris had always been kind to him and the kids when they ran into him. If he were to make a guess the man was in his early seventies.

"How are you today?" Mr. Norris asked cheerily.

Tim sighed deeply before answering. "Honestly, I feel like I'm drowning." He didn't know why he always vented to Mr. Norris. If he were to guess it was because the man always listened to him and seemed to really be interested. He was also very sweet with the children. Anna called him Mr. Man.

"It's that husband of yours again, isn't it?" he drawled.

"We're not married," Tim corrected.

"Why not? You've given him three kids, fourth on the way. In my day marriage was something to want before the kids." The man broke off some bread and threw it off towards the birds about ten feet away.

"We're just not there yet," Tim said dumbly.

"What does that mean?" Cloudy blue eyes looked at him.

Tim really didn't know what to say. My partner doesn't want to marry a man. My partner told me the other day that he wasn't in love with me.

"It's… complicated," he said instead.

"I don't think you should be with that man," Mr. Norris said bluntly.

"We have kids together. I know what's holding him back he just needs more time. He lost the love of his life and his daughter." Tim knew that Shannon and Kelly's murders weighted heavily on him. It was why he had been married so many times. He hadn't loved any of them, it wasn't the end of the world when the marriages ended. Now he had children that he loved terribly, just the thought of losing them hurt. That was why he kept Tim at a distance. When he thought he had died before it was hard, he couldn't take that again. It had only been two and a half months since Tim's faked death.

Time. Time was what Jethro needed, and Tim would give it to him. Really, he had no choice. He wanted his family to stay together. If that made life a little hard on him, than he could take it; he had been through a lot worse.

"I was married to Millie for five years before I lost her. She was my everything, but she died leaving me with two kids to raise alone. I was sure after she died there would be no one else for me. I moved my mom into the house to take care of the kids and went on. Then three years later I met Gina. Gina was the complete opposite of Millie. Where Millie was soft spoken and gentle, Gina was loud and a ball of fire.

"The man who met and fell in love with Millie was very different from the one who fell in love with Gina. I was married to Gina for twenty-nine years, we had three more kids. Cancer took her from me three years ago. What I'm saying is, I don't believe there is one love of your life; there are different stages. The man who married Millie would never be with someone as vulgar as Gina, and the man who married Gina would think Millie was too much of a push over for him.

"This man of yours needs to get his head out of his you-know-what before it's too late."

Tim was trying hard to keep his composure, he looked over at Anna. She had moved on to the swing set. The twins had fallen asleep on the walk over.

Instead of thinking about things too upsetting for him he let his mind wander. He still needed to go shopping for the sleepover they were having that night. It was his brilliant idea to invite Anna's half-brother and sister over. It had been in the works for months. Tim had gotten to know their grandparents well. They weren't around enough to know exactly how mentally unstable their daughter was.

Anna's therapist said it would be beneficial to keep in contact. He was glad he listened because she loved playing with them. Their grandparents also said it would be good for the kids. So it was a win-win situation, the only problem was Jethro. He didn't trust anyone, especially the parents of the crazy woman who married Brandon Stacks and kidnapped Anna.

"Papa, watch me!" Anna yelled. His head snapped up just to see her launch herself off the swing. She was lucky she didn't fall face first in the sand. She was a little daredevil. Being used to her antics by now, he just told her 'good job' with her landing.

A week earlier she had scraped her knees on a tree. She had climbed well above what he was comfortable with. Still, he loved that about her, she was strong. She wouldn't have any of the problems he did when he was younger. His father would have been proud of her.

"Well, I know when to mind my own business," Mr. Norris said suddenly. Tim's head snapped up the look at the man.

"I'm sorry," he said guilty; he wasn't trying to ignore the man.

"It's okay, not the first time I've given unsolicited advice." The man's haggard face lighted up some and a smile graced his face. It made Tim feel a lot better. They spent the rest of the hours talking about the kids. Mr. Norris said he missed his own grandchildren because they all lived far away. It made Tim sad for the old man.

"Have a good day," Tim told Mr. Norris right before leaving to get the house ready for the sleepover.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Chapter 30**

* * *

**I don't own show NCIS or Characters.**

**This chapter was fun to write. I hope you all like it.**

Tim was happy he made it to week twenty. When he had asked Jethro to come to the appointment with him, he was disappointed when the man said he was busy. He was lucky enough to be able to get the twins in NCIS's childcare. He didn't use it often but sometimes he needed to get things done during the day which was hard with two screaming one year olds.

There was only one other person in the waiting room. It was a young girl, no older than sixteen. By the looks of it she was about six months. He felted sadness for her, hopefully she had a family that supported her. It was also sad that she had no one with her.

"Is this your first?" the girl asked him.

"No, my fourth," he replied with a smile.

"Wow."

He was saved from anymore conversation by the nurse calling his name.

After checking on all his vitals the ultrasound was started.

"The baby is looking good. Everything measuring right," the doctor said then giving him the measurements.

Tim let out a sigh, he had been still been a little worried. "Can you tell the gender?"

The doctor pressed on his stomach to get the baby to move. "You said you have two daughters and a son?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Well, I've got bad news for your son. It looks like he is going to be the only boy with three sisters."

Tim thought that was good because A.J. was such a gentle little boy. Even at a year old he was sweet. Tim didn't think only having sisters would bother him. Tim only had a sister and he wouldn't have changed that for the world, even if she was a pain sometimes.

"A girl?" he choked out. He wanted to be sure.

"I'm ninety percent sure for medical reasons but I'm telling you. That is a little girl." The doctor had a big grin on his face.

"Thank you," he told the man.

The rest of the appointment went by really fast. He was told what to do or not do. It was hard to pay attention he wanted to go and tell Jethro.

It was around lunchtime. He had texted Tony asking him where Jethro was. He wanted to surprise him. Tony told him he went to a deli to get lunch. After getting the deli's name he drove right over.

The deli was a small, dark place. It didn't have the feel of any place he wanted to go. But he knew Jethro was inside which meant the place was okay.

He opened the almost blacked out door and walked inside. No chime or anything sounded off from the door. There were two small tables up front but they were empty. No one was at the counter so he walked around the gaudy thing. When he was clear of it he saw something that stopped his heart. In the corner of the empty deli was Jethro and some red-headed woman.

Jethro had the woman pinned to the wall. The woman's legs were wrapped around Jethro's waist. They were both still clothed but rubbing up against each other like they were in heat. The woman's eyes finally opened and landed on him.

"We're closed!" she shouted.

Before Jethro could turn around Tim ran out of deli. With his world crashing around him, he got into his car. He drove to the office to get the twins. He felt numb as he went about business like his world wasn't ending. He had no back-up plan.

Jethro wasn't the type to cheat. Or was he? The baby he was carrying seemed to be reacting to his mood. All in all it was a bad day. But for once in his life he didn't react on instinct. It was yelling at him to grab the kids and leave. But he had nowhere to go anymore.

He numbly made dinner and took care of the children. The kids must have been feeling his mood also because they were all whiny.

Jethro had called around five telling him that he would be working all night. Tim didn't call him on what he caught, he just went with it. It was like he was walking in a daze. This couldn't be happening. For the first time he thought about why the man had been divorced so many times. Maybe he was a serial cheater. But then the fog settled on him again and he went on autopilot.

It was Friday night so he had to work. Jethro told him Ducky was coming over to watch the kids for him. That was good, he could lie to him, not Tony though. Tony would have seen through the fake smile he wore when Ducky arrived.

He dressed for work and started to drive.

Jethro groaned as he walked through the door. It had been a bitch of a night. He still felt gross from that woman attacking him at the lunch.

He had lunch there ever Friday if he was able. How had he not noticed the woman's obsession with him? Then everything seemed to explode today. Abby was working on finding out what the woman drugged him with. One minute he remembered eating the next he had the woman pinned to the wall. Then she screamed at someone and he started to come out of his haze. He was still aroused by her but knew something was off. He had called Bishop to come and collect evidence.

There was no way he would have cheated on Tim because there was a willing woman. He was having trouble with Tim earlier but they were working things out. Like last night.

_Tim was on his side in the bed. Jethro cuddled up behind him resting his hand on Tim's belly. Tim was leaving for work in an hour and they wanted to spend time together._

_"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Tim asked._

_"Doesn't matter, just healthy," he answered honestly._

_He kissed the nap of Tim's neck and nuzzled it. He was happy when he heard a content sigh from Tim._

_"So, you think we have time for some fun?" he asked teasingly._

_"I'm not going to work smelling like sex," Tim said with a laugh._

_"The shower is free," he pointed out._

_"I can't fit in there with you anymore. I'm too big," Tim whined._

_"You're gorgeous." It was true. The man shined when he was pregnant._

_"You are going to the appointment with me tomorrow, right?" Tim asked, changing the subject._

_"I can't, I've got something that can't wait." He hated not telling Tim the complete truth but he didn't want to him to worry._

_"I've got to get ready for work," Tim said, pulling away from Jethro._

Jethro wished he would have been honest with Tim now. He just didn't want Tim to worry if it turned out to be nothing. Now this had to happen. It was going to hurt the man when he told him about the woman and the deli.

Jethro saw Ducky reading a book at the kitchen table.

"Please tell me you've gotten some sleep."

"It's alright, Jethro. Alexander was up most of the night, I just got him down. Anna had a nightmare but she fell back asleep," Ducky said as he put his book down. "Have you found out what that woman gave you?"

He shook his head, not really wanting to talk about it. He had made sure no one told Tim about it before he got the chance. Whatever drug it was it made him aggressive and sexually aroused. The woman then started in on him. He remembered telling her to back off but then it was like his brain got muddled. All he saw was a willing woman and he was so ready to have her. Thankfully, it had broken before he did something he would regret. The woman didn't even see herself as a rapist but that's what she was. Well, attempted at least.

"Abby thinks it's a mixture of a few drugs. She won't tell me until she knows for sure."

They chatted for a while before saying goodbye. He wanted to get a couple hours sleep before Tim got home.

At seven in the morning he was woken by his phone going off.

"Gibbs," he answered, his voice raspy.

"I know what she gave you," Abby's pissed off voice came through.

"What was it?" His mind raced with all the possibilities.

"In layman's terms, it was a mixture of Viagra and Ecstasy. It's a dangerous mixture, it was popular years ago. It seems to be making another appearance. What do you want me to do?" she asked quietly.

It was his choice if he wanted to press charges or not. The thought upset him but he couldn't let a person like this do this to someone else.

"I'll take care of it." He would have to go to the police and make a report.

He went to check on the kids; he was in luck they all were still asleep. He decided to have a quick shower. The kids were going to be up soon and Tim would be home. After Tim's sleep they could go out and do something fun. Staring at the four walls wasn't going to help him. He just wanted to scrub that woman off of him. He had taken a scalding shower before bed but he still didn't feel clean. A new side of Tim became amazing clear to him.

The nights where Tim needed the light on. The times he would freeze up if a work van drove by them. He knew now he had to get his head out of his ass. Tim needed him, and now he knew he needed Tim also.

"Where's Papa?" Anna asked at breakfast.

Jethro was wondering the same thing but smiled for his daughter. "He's still at work." Jethro had called him but got no answer. He called Truman whose team was working the weekend. He had Truman check to make sure Tim was there. Truman confirmed that Tim was there but was working hard on something.

"Did he find out what the baby is? He said the doctor would be able to see," Anna asked excitedly.

"No, he didn't tell me." That was odd in itself. He would expect Tim would tell him right away. It was odd not to hear from him at all in over a day. The more he thought about it the more uneasy he felt.

Tim sat across from his friend. He had met her a few weeks ago. He got along with her amazingly. Paloma was always kind to him. She reminded him a lot of Kate. She was a strong woman and he liked that about her.

"You're going to get sick if you keep worrying so much," she told him, she had an accent that he found lovely.

For a while he could forget about Jethro's betrayal. He was surprised when Paloma called out of the blue that morning but glad for it. There was only so long he could drag out his work.

He turned away to signal for the check. If he had seen Paloma's face he would have seen the dangerous gleam in her eye. But he didn't so when she offered to drive him back to his car, he agreed. If only he would have answered his phone when it rang, instead he turned it off. But he didn't know any of that; he gave her a smile before then got into her car.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Chapter 31**

* * *

**I don't own NCIS or the characters.**

Tim knew he had made a mistake. He knew that as soon as the car started moving. One minute, Paloma was his friend, and the next she was a cold and distant stranger. He must have been some kind of magnet to the wrong type of person. "Fool" must be printed on his forehead. How else had he fell for the friend's rouse again and again?

On the inside, he was still the same broken sixteen-year-old. He had just lied to himself for so long. He told himself that he was smarter, stronger, and more experienced in the world. But none of that was true. He had still believed in the inherent good in people, a mistake that looked deadly, again.

He hadn't spoken since she threatened to shoot him in the stomach early on. She had stopped and two goons had gotten in the backseat.

At the first gas station they stopped, and switched drivers. He was threatened again, and told to get in the backseat.

Paloma sat in the front passenger's seat. Goon #1 sat in the driver's seat. He had a shaved head, a little shorter than Tim, his face reminiscent of a rat; ugly and pointed. Actually, that was insulting to the rat. They only spoke in Spanish. Tim decided it was for his best interest to allow his captors to believe that he couldn't translate.

Goon #2 was two or three inches taller than Tim. He was most definitely the muscle of the group. While Paloma and "Goon #1" talked about their plan, he stayed silent. His black hair ran down his back in a ponytail.

The two in front either sneered at him or laughed. The man beside him was stone faced. Though, Tim kept noticing his eyes falling to his stomach. But his face stayed blank of emotion.

Hours later, another break for gas.

"I have to go to the restroom," he told Paloma. Goon #2 operated the gas pump and Goon #1 was in the store.

"Can't you hold it?" she asked, annoyed.

"No."

"Fine, after we leave we'll find a quiet back road."

He shouldn't have been surprised but he was. Of course they weren't going to allow Tim a chance at freedom. But it was worth a try.

"Can't I just go inside? I promise to draw attention."

"And have your face on a security camera? I don't think so."

As promised he was let out on a deserted road. He walked to a nearby bush while being trailed by Goon #2. He thought for half a second about running but he'd have a bullet in his back before he made it a foot. It was unnerving to have Goon #2's eyes on him, watching him while he did his business.

Once back in the car, it became silent. It was better than hearing all the horrible things she had planned. Most of the times the stuff she talked about had nothing to do with him. She seemed to have a lot of balls in the air.

He had learned the goons' name during the drive. Or at least their nicknames. Goon #1 was Ricardo. Goon #2 was called Cinco, he hoped that was a nickname. What kind of parents would name their kid Five?

The only thing that kept him sane was knowing Jethro and the kids were safe. He had a lot of time to think on the drive. He had wondered if these people worked for his late father until they started talking about Jethro.

From what he heard, she hated Jethro. She wanted the ultimate revenge. She hadn't said why, just that she wanted him to suffer. To hurt him in the worst way possible. Ricardo brought up the kids but she said no. She said she wouldn't hurt a child. At least his children were safe. He didn't know if that covered the baby he was carrying though.

* * *

Paloma looked into the rearview mirror. The man had not given them any problems yet. After befriending him, she was sure he would fight. It must be the baby that's keeping him from acting reckless.

Everything came together better than she had ever planned.

Her original plan was to kill Jethro's father died when the man did. Killing Jethro Gibbs wouldn't hurt him, he would be dead. She needed him to suffer. For the longest time she only had his co-workers. The old British one, the weird girl, the Italian, and the assassin. She was glad that last one was gone now. That woman scared even her.

She always had the option of the girl, Anna. But she didn't want to go that route. She had her own rules, and the number one was never to hurt a child. She had been hurt too much as a child, along with Alejandro. She didn't want that for a child, even her enemies' children. But she wasn't above hurting the lover. She even had the perfect revenge. Sometimes it wasn't all about death and destruction.

When she had the woman from the deli drug Gibbs, she never thought the lover would come in. It worked out too perfect. Her right hand man Ricardo saw the man run out. A simple call to the man this morning and he ran right to her. She might even let the woman from the deli have her husband back.

* * *

Tim looked up as they closed in on the border crossing. The Mexico border was less than a mile away. Finally hope filled him, he didn't have his license. The guard posted at the check point would know something was wrong.

Thirty minutes later they were in Mexico… destination- unknown. Paloma's reach was far wider than he had thought. The guard barely looked at them, he just nodded to Paloma and waved them through. How was he ever going to get home now?

* * *

Jethro re-watched the security video for the fourth time. The police got the video from the deli. He hadn't known Tim was there until he watched it himself. Abby had gotten a copy. When he had started to panic because Tim wasn't home, Abby confessed what was on the video.

For a hole-in-the-wall deli, it had a great security system. Tim's face was clear when he saw Jethro and the woman. The police were trying to get enough evidence to press charges. They let her go after questioning her and she seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth, along with her husband.

He wanted her to pay for hurting Tim but mostly he just wanted her gone; it looked like he got his wish. But now Tim was gone as well. The only thing that didn't make sense was that he left the children. It was unlike Tim to leave the kids or go a day without seeing them. Tim hadn't even called Tony, which was unusual if he was upset.

Just as he started to really panic, the letter came. It was written in Tim's handwriting so he knew it was genuine.

Jethro glared at the screen before showing the video of Tim's running out of the deli again. Tim had left. Gone. Mental break. Whatever you call it, he was no longer there. His phone was no longer working. When Jethro had called Tim's sister she told him to let the man have some time. It wasn't the first time he had run off. He had left after giving Anna up and didn't talk to her for a year. He didn't know what to think about that. Tim would never abandon his children, but the letter was clear. He needed time before he could come back.

Opening his draw, Jethro snatched the letter out and re-read it.

_Jethro,_

_I've known for some time that it wasn't right between us. I thought for a while it was getting better. I was wrong. I can't be what you want me to be, I'll always be a man. I love you and the children but I need sometime alone. I found out today that the baby didn't make it. I'm having a D and C. I don't blame you for the loss of the baby but I need time. I know you will take care of the children. Tell them I love them and hope to see them soon. Maybe by then A.J. will like being held by then. I ask that you not replace me with this new woman. I don't want them to forget me._

_Love, Tim_

That stupid letter taunted him, he shoved it back into the drawer. He grieved for Tim leaving and the baby he never got to see or know. It had only been four days since he had seen Tim, one since he had gotten the letter mailed from a town in Tennessee that Tim seemed to have driven through. He didn't have his car and hadn't used his cards but Tim was a brilliant man, if he didn't want to be found he wouldn't.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Chapter 32**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or characters.**

**I hope you all like this chapter.**

Vicente Benitez couldn't believe how out of control his life had gotten. His life was on the right track until he met and fell in love with Dara. When he married her he had no idea she was mixed up with the Reynosa Cartel. That was almost ten years ago. Now Dara was gone, and he was stuck with a life he never wanted.

All he wanted in his life was to marry Dara, have children and start his own medical practice. Now none of that mattered anymore. All he was good for was using force. He was so used to people treating him like a dumb Neanderthal that he started to believe it himself.

When Paloma called and told him he would be taking care of a pregnant man, he about told the woman to shoot him then and there. But he wasn't suicidal, not yet at least.

The man had been very quiet but that was understandable. When Vicente had to force the man to write his goodbye letter to his lover, he had felt bad. The man had children that he was saying that he needed time away from. He had to tell his lover that he had lost their baby. It wasn't true. The man was still very much pregnant.

The only good thing was, that Paloma and Ricardo had left to finish other business. That just left him with the man, along with the servants. They minded their own business because they knew what was good for them.

He started to worry about the man because all he did was sleep and stare out the window. It was getting on his nerves that he had to almost force the man to eat. The man was pregnant, one would think he would want to keep his strength up. Paloma wasn't due back until the baby was due to be born. It was her plan to keep the baby as her own, then slice the man's neck. She didn't want to worry about him coming back for the child.

Once upon a time he would have been horrified by the thought. But now it was his life. That was one of the reasons he didn't talk to any of the people he was in charge of, he knew the deal. He had learned the hard why when Ricardo killed Dara in front of him. Dara had become disillusioned from the life. Ricardo had killed her when she was begging for her life and the life of her unborn child, Vicente's child. Nothing mattered after that, except waiting until the time was right to kill Ricardo. He was still waiting, he wanted his revenge to be unseen, he wanted to relish in it.

"Cinco?" the man said quietly, pulling Vicente out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked harshly.

"I'm sorry," the man barely whispered.

"Sorry for wha- "The rest of his sentence was cut off by the heavy engraved stone heaved at his head.

* * *

Tim watched as the stone hit Cinco square in the head. The big man fell to the floor like a bag of bricks. The workers weren't due back until later, he knew his window of opportunity was short. He may only be in cybercrimes but he still had training. He knew what the woman had planned for him. He wasn't about to let her have his baby.

His plan was simple, get somewhere safe and call Jethro or Tony.

"I shouldn't be surprised… should I?" a familiar voice asked.

Tim's heart sank as he realized his chance at freedom was gone. He turned and looked at Ricardo. He was alone but the man was evil to the core, he could feel it. He could hear Cinco groaning, coming back to the land of the living.

"Did you really think you could get away? I guess Paloma knew what she was talking about when she told me to check on you. Of course, she thought that Little Vicente had gotten soft and let you go. I'm glad to see that wasn't true. Poor Vicente always thinks with his heart, it would be bad for his health to let you go." The man cackled before he went silent.

Tim watched in morbid fascination as the man slid to the floor, blood spouting from his neck, a sickening gurgling coming from him. He looked back up and saw Cinco standing there with the bloody knife, blood dripping down his face.

"We'll forget about that stone if you drive," he said before dropping the knife. He then took off his shirt and pressed it to his bleeding head, wobbling some.

"Where are we going?" he asked hesitantly.

"Anywhere but here, when she finds out Ricardo is dead she will kill us both, she won't wait for the baby."

"Can I go home?" he asked, hope filling him.

"No, it's too dangerous. She has friends in high places, as soon as someone sees you in the states, you will be killed," Cinco said before groaning.

"Then where are we going?"

"South."

"South? Just south?" What in the world did that mean?

"Yep, just south. Get your ass in the car if you ever want to see your family again." Cinco tossed the bloody t-shirt and slid on a new one. He also wrapped his head in a bandage. It didn't look like the first time he had been hit in the head.

"I need to call Jethro, he'll know what to do. I need to check on my kids. I can't stay away from them. We know who the enemy is now. You can come with me," he offered the man.

"I'm a dead man walking. How do you plan on getting across the border?" Cinco asked a little smugly.

"I can have Jethro or Tony waiting for me at the border. I have no doubt Tony will come," Jethro, he had some doubts about.

"Fine, let's get out of here."

* * *

Jethro was still shocked by the call he had gotten. Tim had been gone a little over a week and now this. He had told him that Paloma Reynosa had taken him. It had taken Abby some research to find out she was the daughter of Pedro Hernandez. His blood boiled still thinking about the man. His daughter seemed not to have the same bloodthirsty tendency as her father, because Tim was still alive.

Anna had been waking up with nightmares again. After Tim's father had him taken and his death faked they started. She also started wetting the bed again. She hadn't had that problem in almost a year. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. It seemed like the child could never have both of her fathers. He knew it was mostly his fault, she didn't have a stable home. As soon as they retrieved Tim, that would be taken care of. He planned on marrying the man. He had been waiting for some kind of sign that Tim was the one but he had been getting them all along. Anna, then the twins, he was just too pig-headed to see his second chance at true love for what it was.

Because of the threat Tony was going to stay with the sitter and kids. Bishop was going with him to meet Tim in Matamoros. He was uneasy about the man traveling with Tim but he also didn't want him alone. The man seemed to be trying to help. Tim wouldn't say who the man was or how he met him though.

* * *

The baby really needed to pick a better time to start kicking. They had been at the rundown hotel for an hour. Jethro and Bishop were flying into San Antonio International Airport, then driving to meet them in Matamoros. Now if the baby would give it a rest, he could do the same.

Cinco, whose name was Vicente, was looking out the window. He was paranoid that Paloma's men would be descending on them soon. Tim was just as worried but he didn't know who to look out for, so when Vicente told him that he could go shower he jumped at the opportunity, figuratively. He wouldn't be jumping in a long time.

Letting the hot water run over his face he let his thoughts drift. Soon he would be able to hold his babies again. He had hoped that his little message in the letter would tip Jethro off about the sincerity of the letter. He mentioned in it about A.J. not liking to be held, it was Petra that didn't like to be held, A.J. was a snuggly baby. But that didn't happen, it just showed the distance between him and Jethro, and that had nothing to do with miles.

It wasn't until the water started to run cold when he realized he had been in the shower for a while. He hated having to put back on his dirty clothes but it was his only choice. Paloma had the servants get him extra clothes at the building they had been at. He had left them there because they had been in a rush.

"You can take a nap if you want," Vicente said from the window, he looked like he hadn't moved.

"I'm okay," he said right before he yawned.

Vicente looked at him and smiled. "Go ahead, I'll wake you when your husband gets here."

"Not my husband," he mumbled.

"Well he's as good as, right?" Vicente asked looking at him.

"I guess." Tim sat on the bed, he debated pulling the covers. The outside was rundown but the inside was quite clean. He decided to crawl under the covers.

* * *

Vicente watched Tim nod off to sleep. He didn't want to leave the man but knew his life was forfeit when the man's partner arrived. He had finally done what he set out to do years ago. He had killed Ricardo with his own hands. It didn't feel the way he hoped it would have. But that's what they always say about vengeance. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life in Santa Martha Jail though. And if he was sent there it would be a very short life.

Hours passed and the sun dropped from the sky. He was still watching the window when a flashy SUV pulled up in front of the room they were in. He fingered his gun until the man he knew to be Jethro Gibbs stepped out. It was now time to make his getaway. He quickly made his way to the bathroom and pried open the window.

The banging on the door woke Tim. He looked towards the window expecting to still see Vicente, but he wasn't there. Before he could start to panic he heard a familiar voice shout.

"Open up!"

Tim raced to the door as fast as his body let him. As soon as he opened the door he threw himself at Jethro. He felt safe again for the first time in a week. He would need a lifetime of therapy for his life up until now. For the first time in a week he broke down and cried. He couldn't let himself until now, he couldn't let them see.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Chapter 33**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.**

Jethro had explained what occurred in the deli to Tim. He told him before practically throwing him in the car and taking off. He needed to get back on U.S. soil quickly. He had Vance working on possible problems at that moment. Now that Tim was a target of Paloma and the whole Reynosa Cartel, he had to act fast.

Tony was watching the kids, Deacon's team was moving a lot of Tim's and the kids' stuff to the safe house. Vance and Abby were setting up the safe house with secure equipment so Tim could work from there. Only NCIS knew where Tim was going and only very few of them, the most trusted.

While his team needed to defuse Paloma, Tim and the kids needed to be safe.

He started getting a little worried about how quiet Tim had become. He seemed to believe Jethro's story about the woman at the deli but Tim was very emotional while pregnant. He seemed to be moving on auto-pilot. Once they boarded the plane, Tim just sat staring out the window for the whole trip.

* * *

Tim sat in car riding with Jethro. They had just dropped Bishop off at NCIS headquarters. Then Jethro started talking, more and more Tim felt his anger rising. Jethro had just dropped the bomb about Tim and the kids moving into the safe house. In truth he thought the idea was a good one because he was worried about that woman getting her hands on the kids.

It was Jethro's attitude about the whole thing that angered him. He hadn't even attempted to ask Tim, it was an order. They had already moved him and the kids in. Jethro wasn't even going to be living there, he was going to be working on the case. It also became clear that they would not be seeing him because of the risk of being followed. Tim wasn't even going to be allowed to see his friends. Still he could accept that for his children's safety. He was just sick of being pushed around.

His brain seemed to start putting things together that he had missed earlier. For the first time in a long time things started to make sense to him. He had known that he dated men like his father. But now he realized it wasn't just that; he had turned into his mother. He used to sit up at night praying his mother would take him and Sarah away, but that never happened. Now he was doing the same thing to his children; they were watching one parent walk all over the other.

"Jethro," he said, breaking the tense silence in the car. He was sure this was going to be rough, he could feel it.

"What?" Jethro asked when Tim didn't continue.

"I want to say this without you speaking. Wait until I finish before you speak." Jethro nodded, not taking his eyes off of the road. "I will go to the safe house and I will work from there. Once the trouble with Paloma is over I'm leaving. I'll be getting my own place with the kids. I want the babies to stay with me, but I want Anna over regularly. She is more comfortable living with you and I don't want her to be hurt any more than she will be.

"I'll work whatever arraignment you need so you can have the babies as much as you want, within reason."

He expected Jethro to interrupt but he was silent. The only way Tim could tell the man was listening, was the white knuckles gripping the steering wheel.

He continued, "I grew up in a household like the one our children are at risk of growing up in. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I've known for a while that I seem to attract men like my dad, I didn't realize until just now that I had become my mother.

"When people learn my history the first thing they think is… victim. I don't blame them because that's how I've been living, but that's not all who I am. I'm also a survivor. I am a father, a brother, a son and a grandson. I am a geek. I am a nerd. No they aren't the same thing. I am hacker. I am so many things; the list is too great to write, and not all of them are good.

"I've been waiting to feel strong and not weak anymore. But I've had an epiphany. Waiting for that is like waiting to win the lottery without buying a ticket. I've been pushed around my whole life, no more. The funny thing is I'm okay with being single. Would I like to find someone who loves me? Yes, of course, but that's not going to happen. I need an equal partner, I've told you this before but it didn't change anything." He was breathing hard by the end of his speech.

He looked over to see how Jethro was going to react.

"Are you done?" Jethro snapped. That wasn't good.

"Yes."

"Over my dead body you'll have the babies live with you. You leave, you leave alone. My house is the only home they've ever known. Let's just see who the judge thinks is a better choice for custody. You're fickle, Tim. You haven't held a steady job or a place to live. You jump from man to man like you're playing leapfrog. First Psycho Ryan then me, after that you ran and found Dale. That seemed to get you nowhere so you come back to me."

"I was never with Dale like that," Tim said angrily. "And it seems you're forgetting about shutting me out and not answering my calls."

"It seems like you're forgetting you brought a madman into my home that kidnapped my daughter, and gave her to an even more insane person. Was he that good in bed, Tim? Good enough to sacrifice our daughter?" Jethro bit out.

Whatever thin ice they had been walking on for months just broke. Tim did the only thing he could think. It was a trick he learned from his night with Stacks. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift into a fog. Just as he was drifting a thought occurred to him. This was exactly what he said he was changing. He was no longer that person. Clearing his mind of the fog, he then turned to Jethro and smirked.

"Somebody is a sore loser," he sneered.

He watched the man flinch and knew he hit a nerve. He wouldn't be cruel like Jethro was sometimes, but the days of being a doormat were over.

"Oh, and don't forget who saved OUR daughter. I have chosen to have sex with two men in my life. I was with one for years. Then I had a roommate when I needed one, one that took care of me while I was pregnant with your twins. Then I move in with you against my better judgment because I wanted to see my daughter. So I spent the next year being used by you, and again getting pregnant. But instead of handling it as a couple you get snipped without even talking to me. But I still go with it for the scraps of affection you give me.

"I'm surprised I'm still sane after Stacks, giving up Anna, the kidnapping and everything in between. Give me your best shot, Leroy. You have been married four times, divorced three times. I have been the target of your anger once, physically. I even have a high ranking FBI agent to verify it. I've looked the devil in the eye and still came out the other side. If you think you will break me, you are sorely mistaken."

Tim noticed they had stopped outside of a small cabin. He could see Tony standing in front of the front door with an anxious look on his face. Tim guessed this was the safe house. Jethro seemed to be too shocked from his outburst to even say anything. He got out of the car and made his way for the front door. Tony seemed to guess he needed support, he clamped his hand on Tim's shoulder and led him inside. As soon as he went through the door he was hit with forty-five pounds of squealing girl.

"Papa," Anna cried as she hugged his legs. He breathed for the first time in hours now that he was with his children. He grabbed her from under her arms and lifted her up. This was home, no matter the house.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Chapter 34**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.**

Tim woke up to both of the babies' crying. He had been in the safe house a week. Anna missed Jethro but was able to talk to him on a burn phone. Melinda Debose, the agent in charge of the safe house, was staying with them. When she needed to leave, Agent Vasquez usually came to watch over them.

On the plus side, both agents didn't really interfere with him or the kids. Anna tried in the beginning to engage Agent Debose into her life but was unsuccessful.

Agent Debose was a woman in her early fifties. She was recovering from surgery, it was her first assignment back. She was like the female version of Jethro, without the warmth. She was very professional, it was very different from the way every other agent acted towards him. Agent Vasquez was a slightly round man in his late forties. He wasn't as cold as Agent Debose, at least he talked to Anna when she talked to him.

A.J.'s ear-piercing scream quickened his pace. He slid on his jogging pants and a large white t-shirt. Opening the door he quickly rushed to the children's room. All three were sharing the largest room. The babies' cribs were against one wall while Anna's small twin bed was on the other.

A.J. stopped crying when he stepped into the room but Petra kept crying. Anna was still in bed with her pillow over her head.

Their schedule was down pat by now. They would all get up and have breakfast. After he had the babies taken care of he would let them play on the floor. He would give Anna her schoolwork and help her when she needed it. He didn't want her to fall behind in school so this was a must. Then, while she was working, he would work on his job. The only thing he had to work on was to find money. A case one of the teams were working on; he needed to find the location where their suspect sent the embezzled money.

Agent Debose left for a personal errand while Agent Vasquez stayed with them. He stayed by the window being vigilant. It was easy for Tim to just forget he was there; that was until Petra started tugging on Agent Vasquez's pants leg.

"And what do you think you're doing, Little Miss?" Vasquez asked the baby as he picked her up. Petra giggled as Vasquez tickled her and placed her back on the floor. She toddled back over to her brother, who was playing with a toy xylophone.

"So… how's the family?" Tim asked him.

"Good, Evan got into Bridgewater, he's over the moon. I don't really know how we're going to pay for it but we'll figure it out."

Agent Vasquez had told him a little about his family. Evan was their only child, they had given up trying when they were surprised with him. He was both his parents pride and joy, it made Tim a little jealous seeing a father so proud of his son. The boy had just gotten into his first choice of college, Bridgewater.

"I'm sure you'll figure out something," he said before turning back to his desktop.

A short time later he put the babies down for their nap. Anna was done with most of her work and taking a snack break. He went back to work, he was so close to finding the money he could feel it.

Aaron Thompson was suspected of embezzling money from a service office that turned out to be a dummy. There was no reason the money should have been there in the first place, so now that it disappeared it was more suspicious. Tim believed there was a bigger player in the game but the leads told him just to look for the money. That was what he was trained to do, so that's what he would do.

It was around four in the afternoon when Agent Debose got back. She seemed to be in a cranky mood. The kids were feeding off her mood and were cranky too. He gave up working because it was impossible with three whiny kids.

"I wanna call Daddy," Anna cried.

"You have to wait until he calls you. Do you want to help me made something for dessert?" he asked hoping that would cheer her up.

Jethro called from three different burn phones. Tim never knew what phone to call. Tim thought Jethro was being a little bit paranoid but when it came to the kids' safety, he trusted him. The only time he was going to be allowed out was to his doctor's appointments. He wasn't even getting to see his own doctor, it was a specially approved one by Director Vance. He just hoped this would be done before the baby was born.

He had also talked to Tony, who was working on helping him find a place to live. Because of all his problems with his dad Tim already had his own lawyer. As soon as he was out, he would have her draw up a custody petition and see what happens. Maybe with the time apart Jethro would get some perspective.

"Brownies?" Anna asked hopefully.

"Great. Who wants tater tot casserole?" he asked pulling out the frying pan.

"Me. Me. Me," Anna said jumping up and down.

After setting the pan on the stove he pulled the ground turkey out of the fridge. He could hear Agent Debose going about her business. It worked better if he just pretended she wasn't there…for everyone.

"Can I call Daddy now?" Anna asked after dinner and dessert.

"Daddy has to be the one that calls," he said, losing some of his patience. She had been asking every ten minutes. Jethro was late calling by an hour, he tried not to worry.

"Up," A.J. said happily. He was standing in front of Tim with his arms raised waiting to be obeyed.

The twins were now almost two and their personalities were coming out more. A.J. was more demanding than he had been when he was smaller. Petra had also changed some. She was cuddlier now than she had been once. Any time he sat down on the couch she would toddle over and climb in his lap.

He reached down and picked up A.J. It was a little difficult with his stomach swell. While he wasn't as big as he was with the twins he still was bigger than with Anna.

Anna helped him clean the kitchen because he was working around A.J.

"Can we call Daddy now?" Anna asked, her voice whining now, like she does when she is tired.

"No," he snapped and immediately felt guilty. "Baby, come here," he said more gently.

Her lip wobbled but she walked over to him. She was too big for him to pick up while pregnant so he bent down.

"Daddy is working. He is fixing everything so we can go home." He decided against telling her about the separation, it was all too much already.

"But I wanted to talk to him," she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I know," he said, rubbing her back.

_"Jethro better be doing something important," he thought to himself._

Putting the kids to bed was more somber than usual, because of the lack of the phone call. He hoped the next day Jethro would call with good news.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Chapter 35**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or the characters.**

 

Gibbs watched the safe house being shot full of bullets. Alejandro and his men surrounded the front of the place. Gibbs and his team had been closing in on Paloma. Suspecting there was another major player, they set up a fake safe house. The safe house that Tim and the kids were at was under surveillance right now.

It was Abby who identified Paloma's brother Alejandro. He now worked for the Mexican Department of Justice. It was a snowball effect after that. Abby made the fake safe house a little more findable.

Paloma showed up right on schedule. When Alejandro arrived with his men, the attack was fast. The bullets pierced the house that Paloma had walked into earlier. Killed by her own brother and his men.

Gibbs didn't stay to make the arrests, the FBI that was there could do the cleanup. Now the threat was gone from his family, they could come home.

He knew he had a lot to make up for. It was just hard for him to show the emotions that Tim seemed to need. Life would be a lot easier if he had never met the man. But then he wouldn't have the twins or the new baby on the way.

He was going to work on being more open. It was just his hope that Tim would give him the chance. DiNozzo had told him about looking for a place for Tim. The urge to hit the man, and not playfully, was strong but he didn't.

DiNozzo said he could be a little slower looking, but only if Gibbs was going to fix it. He told Gibbs that Tim was a grown man, not a child. Let him make choices for himself and the kids. If he really loved him or at least wanted a good relationship, he needed to let him go. He said dangling love and acceptance in front of Tim and pulling it away was cruel. He had even threatened to transfer.

* * *

The only reason he agreed to go back to the house was for the kids, especially Anna. She needed stability in her life. It was also a good idea until the baby was born. He could save up and put a down payment on a house that he wants and not just that was available.

"Thank you for staying," Jethro said once they were alone.

"It wasn't for you," Tim said, immaturely.

Just then the baby gave him a big kick, she seemed to be taking her other father's side. Typical.

The house wasn't that big and now with Anna and the twins, Jethro had to sleep on the couch. Tim would have offered but he was tired of being too obliging; that's what landed him in this situation to begin with.

"I know, and I'm sorry about the way I have been treating you," Jethro said. His expression looked pained.

The old Jethro would never apologize. Before, that would be something Tim would love to hear. Now… not so much. He was finally over with his infatuation, and he was happy about that.

After his shower he put on his pajamas. He liked these because they were big, soft and always made him feel better. They were a gag gift from Tony the previous year. The bottoms had spaceships all over them, and the top was three sizes too big. He loved it.

Jethro told him that he would take care of all the kids tonight. That left Tim with just sitting around the bedroom and playing on his laptop. He missed his own laptop, he wasn't allowed to have it because of security.

Losing himself in what he was doing he didn't realized how late it was. He didn't even hear any crying or yelling about bedtime. Blinking his eyes, he looked at the time on his laptop. It was closing in on midnight.

Now that he was out of protective custody he was going back to work tomorrow. He had to get back out into the world.

When Jethro told him that Paloma was killed it made him sad. Any life, no matter how the person lived their life, mattered. Jethro didn't tell him the circumstances behind her death, and he didn't ask.

Once he laid down the baby decided it was playtime. He wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon. Choosing he have a light snack he quietly went downstairs.

"You're up late?" Jethro said, startling Tim.

"Sorry, your daughter seems to think she is in the Olympics." He rubbed his stomach where he was aching.

"A girl?" Jethro asked.

Tim forgot that he wasn't able to tell him about the baby's gender before everything went to crap.

"Yep, another girl. Since I named the twins with a little help from you and Anna, you can name her." He had already been calling her Ronnie in his head but that was just a nickname.

"Do you have any ideas?" Jethro asked.

"I like Ronnie."

"Ronnie?"

"Yes, I can't explain it but to me she has always been Ronnie. Even before I found out she was a she."

"Then Ronnie she is, but can it at least be Veronica on her birth certificate?" Jethro asked. He was smiling, an easygoing smile.

"I'd like that."

He left Jethro in the living room and headed to the kitchen. After making quick snack he headed back to the room to eat. The baby settled at around two in the morning and he was able to get to sleep.

* * *

"Would you like breakfast?" Jethro asked him when get came downstairs.

Tim was a little shocked because Jethro wasn't really a morning person.

"That would be nice," he replied.

Anna walked into the kitchen, she was excited to be going back to school. Tim was glad that Jethro had worked it out with the school. She talked non-stop about seeing her friends. Luckily to her she was just stuck in a house for two weeks because of Daddy's work. That was all she had to know.

There was a loud thump from upstairs. Jethro took off up the stairs with Tim following, trying not to fall. Once he was upstairs he heard Jethro laughing.

Inside the twins bedroom was… no way to explain it other than disaster area.

The floor was covered with baby powder, along with both babies. Both diapers were pulled off along with the messes from them. The loud noise seemed be from Petra pushing over the small bookcase. She was now standing on top the back of it, holding the toilet brush up like a royal sceptre.

All in all it was one of the funniest and grosses things he had ever seen. The bookcase wasn't heavy but it showed him how they need to baby-proof everything now the twins could escape their cribs. He didn't want to clean it up the mess though, so he volunteered to clean the kids off.

"I'll take the babies and put them in the bathtub." They had an hour before they had to drop Anna off at school.

"I'll just toss the diapers and that mess. I'll clean more thoroughly tonight, okay?" Jethro said. It was like he wanted Tim's opinion. Maybe just being friends and co-parents really would work.

"Sure, but you have the pry the 'sceptre' from your daughter's clutches." He laughed when Jethro's face paled some.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Chapter 36**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or the Characters.**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

Tim sighed as he moved his large bulk onto the chair. He was scheduled for his C-section in two days. That was because of the problems with the twins, the doctors wanted to be proactive.

So much had happened in the last few months. He was finally free of the whole Reynosa cartel. Paloma's death was the doing of her brother and his men. Last Tim heard was the cartel was being led now by a new guy. This one seemed to want to keep his distance; apparently he didn't think Jethro was worth their time. For that he was grateful, he didn't need any more worries.

A month ago he closed on a house on the same road. It was a small three bedroom; just perfect for him and the kids. It was one house down from Jethro's. It was a cute little fixer upper. Jethro had promised he would help fix it up.

That was the biggest change in the past months. Jethro. He was almost like a completely different person. After getting out of the safe house, he asked Tim if he could help him look for a place. In fact everything Tim wanted, he gave him.

They told Anna together about moving into the small house. She was understandably upset but she had seemed to adjust. Tim thought it was because nothing was happening fast. He wasn't moving into the new house until some of the work was done. That would be after the baby was born.

The only things that needed to be done, so he could move in was fixing the stairs and the ground floor bathroom. The rest he could work on while living there. But he decided to slowly get the house ready. Let Anna take time making the room to her design. The twins were still going to share a room. He didn't want to separate them until they asked for it. Ronnie would have her own nursery for a while anyway.

He had just gone on paternity leave, and he was bored out of his mind. Because he was so close to his due date anyway people come over every couple hours. First to come check on him was Tony, then Ducky, and lastly Jimmy. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their help and kindness but he was a grown man. He could make his own food, and take care of his own children.

Jethro walked into the kitchen, dragging Tim out of his musings. He didn't even know Jethro was home yet. The twins were down for a nap and Anna was doing her homework in her room.

"How are you feeling?" Jethro asked as he walked to the coffee maker.

"Like if someone asks me that again I'll shove this apple down their throat," he said holding up the apple he was snacking on.

Jethro held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, just asking."

"Well don't." He knew he was being petulant but he was uncomfortable, irritable and tired.

Jethro wisely didn't say anything else. Anna came in the kitchen she had Petra by the hand. Petra had gotten up, escaped her crib and went to bug her sister. Tim had already picked out the twins' toddler beds.

Jethro was making the ones that would be at his house. Since they weren't done yet the twins were still in cribs. They both were great escape artists.

"I'm hungry," Anna announced.

"You want an apple?" he asked.

"Something else," she said.

"A banana?"

"Something else."

"An orange?"

"Something else."

He was running low on patience at the moment. She was eight now, she should be able to express her wants.

"I guess you aren't too hungry than," he said, then pushed himself up off the chair.

"I'll make her a PB&J sandwich," Jethro offered.

"Something else."

Tim was done, he left the three of them in the kitchen and went into the living room. He had a huge recliner to sleep in. It would have been handy with the twins. He couldn't sleep in the bed anymore, so Jethro slept there.

He lowered himself down into the recliner and pulled the footrest out. There was a baby-gate at the top of the steps. When A.J. got up and out of his crib he would stand at the top and yell, "Ready."

Which he did ten minutes later. Anna went back upstairs to help him down. He was much better with the stairs than Petra was.

Instead of going into the kitchen with Anna, A.J. toddled over to him and crawled up in his lap. They snuggled down and Tim turned on the music station. A.J. was much like him, he didn't care for the television. Petra and Anna both loved getting to watch their shows. Tim didn't really know where they got that from because Jethro didn't really like TV either.

A song came on that A.J. liked. He started to 'sing' along with it. It was mostly just babbling but some words he got right. Tim started to nod off to the music.

Walking into the living room Gibbs smiled. Tim and A.J. were both conked out on the recliner. Soft music filled the room.

The hardest thing he had to do was take DiNozzo's advice. He let Tim go. He knew it was for the best. But it was like after he did he saw how amazing the man was. He always knew he was strong, living through what he had. But now it was like his eyes had finally been opened.

He knew Tim was cute in the computer geek kind of way. But now he seemed so much more than that. His confidence had also started to soar. The little lost lamb he had met almost three years ago was gone. In his place was a confident, independent man. And it was a turn on. Gibbs shook that thought, it was over between them. Somethings can never be made right again. He had taken the man for granted and now he was paying the price. Tim deserved better than him.

"Dad," Anna said from behind him.

He turned around to face her. Over the last couple of months she seemed to grow up more. She no longer called him Daddy, now he was just Dad. He didn't like to admit it kind of stung. The twins called him _That_. He wasn't sure want that was about but he didn't like it. Tim and DiNozzo on the other hand thought it was hilarious.

"Yes?"

"Can I go to Lilly's this weekend?"

"Don't you want to be here to see the baby?"

"Papa said he probably wouldn't be back until Monday from the hospital. Lilly's mom said she would take me to visit. Please," she begged.

"Okay," he agreed.

He usually wouldn't let her go but Tim had laid down the law. He found out that he wasn't letting her go on sleepovers. Tim had told him what it was like to live with a tyrannical father who dictated every part of your life. He said she was a child and should be treated like one. She wasn't a third parent, it wasn't her responsibility to take care of the twins. Helping was one thing but not at the expense of a normal childhood.

Tim said his father always had a reason he couldn't do the fun things with other kids. He didn't want his children to have that kind of childhood. He only had two friends in his teen years and he had to sneak out to see them. Anna would never have to live like that, Tim was making sure of it; for that Gibbs was happy to have a co-parent in this. Because all he could see was the evil in the world.

That was what he liked about Tim the most. After everything that happened to him, he could still see the good in people. The children would be at the advantage to gain that kind of positive thinking- but also some of his own shrewd thinking, better safe.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Chapter 37**

* * *

**I don't own NCIS the show or characters.**

Tim had gone into labor the morning of his scheduled C-section. He had been sleeping in his chair when the first contraction hit, the book he had been reading resting on his stomach. As much as he liked technology, he loved reading a good hardback.

He grabbed his phone on the end table and called Jethro. There was no way he would be walking up the stairs right now. When he had told Jethro that he was in labor, he was told to just sit and wait. He didn't have any other plans.

Tim's guess was that Jethro was calling Tony early to babysit the kids. Tony was the one that the kids liked the most. He was sure it was because Tony makes a big deal about everything they do, he's a great godfather.

When they got to the hospital he, was taken to labor and delivery. When his doctor came and checked him out, it was decided he would have the C-section in an hour. He tried not to be nervous but was failing at it.

* * *

The baby was born at 5:31am. Gibbs thought she was beautiful. Things had been a little odd since she was born. When the nurse put the baby on Tim so he could see her he told her to take 'it'.

Ever since he had been in recovery he hadn't held her. When Gibbs tried, Tim yelled at him that he needed rest. This birth was so different from the twins. When they were born, Tim didn't want them out of his sight. This time it was like he didn't even acknowledge to having a child.

When he brought it up to the doctor he said it could be postpartum depression. He would prescribe medicine and counseling, but he would wait until Tim was discharged. He also said Tim could just be overwhelmed in the moment and be fine later.

"Hey, Tim," Jethro said.

Tim tried to block him out. He really didn't want to listen to him. Last time he was in he had the baby with him. Tim just didn't want to deal with any of it. He was on edge, and just didn't want to be bothered with anything Jethro wanted.

"Go away," he said angrily. Usually he was much better at keeping his anger under control. But right now it seemed like it was all on the surface.

"Did you want to hold Ronnie? She's in the nursery." Jethro gently sat on the edge of the bed.

Tim wanted him to just go away. "No."

"Tony is bringing the kids to see you and the baby. Do you want them to come in here and see her or the nursery?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "Anywhere but here, I need time to rest."

Jethro stood up and walked back out. Try as he might, Tim just couldn't give a damn, about anything. Nothing really felt right at the moment. His skin felt too tight and the pain in his gut didn't help.

* * *

"Does she look like me?" Anna asked as she ran up to give her father a hug.

"I believe she does, but she's still really little so now she still looks more like a red potato," Gibbs told his daughter.

Tony was holding A.J. and Gibbs was holding Petra. Gibbs had told him about Tim's emotional state. It was hard for him to understand Tim not wanting to see the baby. When Anna was born it was all he had wanted. Then when the twins were born he didn't want anyone else to take care of the babies. Now he didn't want to hold, feed, cuddle, or anything with the baby.

Anna was pushing the double stroller but neither baby wanted to sit in it. When they saw their father they both wanted him to hold them.

The babies both calmed down, so he was able to put them back in the stroller. Once Gibbs was set with the kids, Tony decided went to see how Tim was doing.

He tapped on the door waiting for an answer, none came. Pushing the door open he slipped into the quiet room. He was met by the glare of Tim. His face, a little paler than usual, and more than a hint of a pained expression.

"What's going on, kiddo?" Tony asked.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Tim said, losing the pissed-off face.

"Why don't you want to see Ronnie?"

"Something doesn't feel right. I just don't have that attachment to her as the others. Even Anna…. I had an attachment to her. When the nurse put the baby on my chest, I didn't feel anything. I can't handle to look at her again and not feel anything or see her. I just want to be left alone."

Tony's heart broke for his friend. There wasn't a person on earth that loved his children as much a Tim. He wondered what was going on in the man's head. It could be postpartum like Gibbs said but Tony wasn't sure. He was no doctor, but he was an expert on Tim.

"Please, tell me what's going through that head of yours. I just want to help." he pleaded.

"I want to move into my house immediately. I don't think I can be around Jethro at the moment. I don't feel right, I feel mixed up and my mind foggy. I don't think I should be around the kids for a while."

Tony could hear the defeated tone in Tim's voice. He knew what he was saying wasn't easy. The man had given it thought and instead of forcing the issue, he was retreating. Tony didn't know what to do…. Really, it wasn't his choice anyway. Gibbs would have two weeks off anyway. Maybe that would be enough time with the kids.

But there was a part of Tony that was worried about Tim not bonding with Ronnie.

"What about Ronnie? Is she going to stay with you at the house?" He already knew the answer.

"I think it would be best if she stayed with Jethro." Tony knew it was right, Tim was having issues bonding already. There was no way he should be alone with Ronnie. He didn't think Tim would hurt her but he might not be as attentive as he should be with a newborn.

"Okay, I'm here if you ever need me." He left Tim alone while he went to talk to Jethro. He just hoped his friend was going to be okay.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Chapter 38**

* * *

**I don't own the show NCIS or characters.**

**I didn't like leaving that last chapter where it was. I'm glad this chapter was much easier to write than the last. Hope you enjoy.**

It had been a week since he had moved into the house. Jethro would bring Anna and the twins over once a day. The first time he had tried with the baby, Tim had asked him not to do that again. He was finally able to admit counseling might be needed. He was already on the medication. Deep down he knew it was the imbalance that made him feel this way, but it was hard to get over his complete lack of feelings towards the baby.

When he was pregnant he felt whole. Now he just felt empty, that had only happened with Anna. There was a reason it had happened before, but this time there was a baby waiting for him. It wasn't going to get better on its own, he knew that.

Jethro had been extremely kind over the week. He hadn't pushed Tim into anything. The times Tim saw him, the man had been gentle and kind. He was really trying to make an effort, but Tim still thought he was judging him. Really, what kind of parent doesn't want to have anything to do with their own baby? He loved his older children but felt nothing for the baby, hell he couldn't even call her by her name. He just hoped Dr. Ryder could help him.

"Dad, can we go see Papa now?" Anna asked.

Her dad said they were going to see him soon. She got to see him only a little at night. The one time her dad brought Ronnie her papa went into his room and wouldn't come out. Her dad said Papa was sick and just and needed time to get better. She wished he would get better soon.

Her room was finished in his house and she thought she was going to get to spend the night. That was what they talked about before Ronnie was born. The twins, Ronnie and her would spend half their time in Papa's house and the other half with Dad. But they were allowed to go over to the other's house anytime. She really wanted to see her Papa. Nothing was going like how they said it would.

It had been three weeks since Ronnie was born. Nothing was getting better, she missed how fun her papa used to be. Her dad said that last time he told to him that he was getting better but not all the way yet. He was going to see a doctor to talk about his feelings. She went to a doctor like that a while back, she didn't like thinking of the sad stuff they talked about.

"Not tonight. I'm going to go shower. Can you watch the littles while I'm in the shower?" her dad asked.

He had just gotten back from work. She just nodded, knowing it was useless to argue.

Once she heard the shower turn on upstairs she decided to take action.

"You want to go see Papa?" she asked the littles.

The twins looked up when she talked about Papa but Ronnie just laid there. She did that a lot, she was in her swing.

She helped out her dad a lot with Ronnie and the twins. She was able to gently get her out of the swing. Ronnie was still real little and she was able to hold her. They still had their shoes on from daycare.

"Let's go," she told them.

She was able to get the back door open easily enough carrying Ronnie. She walked slowly so A.J. and Petra could keep up. Making sure she was supporting Ronnie's head while resting on her shoulder. Ronnie was almost too big for her to carry but not yet.

They walked past Mrs. Feinstein's house, A.J. stumbled a couple of times but stood back up. When they got to Papa's house Ronnie was waking up. She pushed the button to ring the doorbell.

Tim heard the doorbell and debated on answering it. Jethro had already told him that he wouldn't be bringing the kids over. He couldn't find anyone to watch Ronnie. Tim had almost told him to bring her over but chickened out.

He had been in therapy for two weeks and with medication his hormones were evening out. It was like he was a different person than he was three weeks ago. Just thinking about how he reacted to Ronnie he felt shame. He was glad the doctor had just diagnosed him with mild postpartum. When he started the doctor admitting she thought it would be sever with his reaction to Ronnie. But after having his hormones leveled out with the meds it was determined mild.

He no longer felt wrong in his skin. But he did feel ashamed about how he had acted. He knew they would forgive him but he missed three weeks of bonding with Ronnie. He wasn't completely better but he was on his way. His doctor had given him a great prognoses for the future. But he was told if he had any more children the risk was high it would happen again.

Four was more than he ever thought he would have. Once upon a time all he wanted was Anna, but that was after she was already gone. He had been gifted with being able to be her father again. And now he had three other children to love and protect.

The doorbell sounded again bringing him out of his thoughts.

He stood up from his computer where he was writing. His doctor thought it was good for him to put his thoughts into words.

When he opened the door he wondered if a side effect for the meds was delusions. Because it looked like his eight year old daughter was standing on his front steps holding his newborn. Not to mention that his toddlers were sitting on the bottom steps eating something unknown but sharing.

"What in the world is going on here?" he demanded.

"We wanted to come see you. Dad said we couldn't tonight, so we did it on our own." Looking at her face he could see she was worried about him.

"You shouldn't have come alone. Where is your dad?"

"Shower," she said innocently.

"We have to go back over there. He will be worried sick once he gets out." He slid on his shoes by the door and took Ronnie from Anna.

"I want you to hold the twins hands. It was just by miracle they didn't wander off from you," he told her.

He was halfway to Jethro's before it hit him. He was holding Ronnie. He could hear her sniffling into his shoulder. The sun was setting but he was still pretty light out. He slid her off his shoulder and into the crook of his arm. She looked up at him with big blue eyes.

He waited to feel the indifference to her but it wasn't there. The feelings of love and rightness on the other hand were running wild. The pent up emotions that had been blocked for three weeks almost brought him to his knees. It was only be sheer will he made it back to Jethro's.

Once they were close to the house the door shot open. A panicked looking Jethro came running out. Once his eyes locked on Tim he ran over.

Tim waited for him to yell at him. He waited for the old Jethro to come back and accuse him of some terrible misdeed.

"Oh thank God," Jethro said as he knelt down and hugged the kids.

Tim was a little taken aback by Jethro's reaction. It used to be attack first, ask question later.

"Anna wanted to see me so she took the babies with her," Tim explained.

Jethro let go and the kids and stood up. Tim was shocked to say the least with Jethro pulled him into a hug, mindful of Ronnie in Tim's arms.

"You're holding her," he murmured into Tim's ear. "How does it feel?"

"Like I never want to put her down," he answered honestly.

Jethro pulled back out of the hug. "I'm happy, she looks peaceful."

Gibbs knew it was still going to be a struggle some days. Tim wouldn't just one day snap out of his illness. But this was the first major step in the healing process. It was a long time coming. Maybe Anna wouldn't be punished, but a lecture was on the schedule. She needed to know how dangerous it was to take the kids with her. Since it was daytime, she was big enough to go see her father on her own, but the babies were much too small.


	39. Chapter 39

**I don't own NCIS or the characters.**

**Okay, before you hate me let me explain. For the longest time I tried to write something but I couldn't get more than a few words. Then in the past month I wrote chapter 39 two other times. Both of those, didn't really work but I couldn't get it right. This morning I had a breakthrough. It is angsty, sorry about that but I seem to do better with that. I hope you forgive the VERY VERY lateness of this chapter, and I hope you like it.**

It was on Ronnie's first birthday that Tim realized something was wrong. Jethro had never missed any of the kids' birthday parties. Over the past year it had become common that Tim would throw the party and Jethro would bring some grand present and surprise said child. The party had ended an hour ago and no Jethro. None of his team seemed to know where he was. Well… that wasn't entirely true, something about Tony's demeanor was off… to say the least.

The kids were upset that he had not shown up. Abby and the twins more than Ronnie, she didn't understand the wrongness of it all. He didn't have access to NCIS database at home anymore. He could easily hack in but he wasn't that desperate, not yet. Give him a couple more hours and he would be though.

All the kids lived with him through the week and Jethro on the weekends. It worked for them because Tim's schedule firmer, he didn't get called away like Jethro.

"Pa, look," A.J. said. Tim looked at him to see the boy pointing at his new toy. The one he had pilfered from his baby sister not ten minutes ago.

"Is Ronnie sharing with you?"

The guilty face was comical, it took a lot for him not to laugh. Tim watched as A.J. scampered off. It was the present Tony had given her. It was a baby doll with a frilly white dress. Tony should have known that it would become A.J.'s. Jethro said that Anna never really liked dolls. Petra wasn't a fan either but A.J. made up for both of them. He had a room full of them. Everyone was always getting him a new one if they saw one they liked. It was no specific kind of doll either. He had baby dolls, action figures, dress up dolls, really any kid of doll he had.

Abby even got him some porcelain dolls. They stay on his book shelf but every once and a while he'll want to be picked up just to look at them. They were a gothic looking bride and groom. He treasured them already. He never tried to get them down, just rattle on about his pretty dolls. Tim was sure Jethro would have a problem with their son loving dolls so much. But the man had surprised him. He said after losing a daughter he would never take any of his children for granted. He would love them all unconditionally, dolls and all.

That was the first time Tim thought maybe there might be a future for them. They both had gone on dates with others. But neither had found anyone that they really liked. Tim wasn't ready for a relationship and Jethro wasn't willing to spend more time away from the kids. It was pretty funny that no one really noticed how Jethro's dates had gone from women to men. If they did they didn't say anything. Tim wondered if Jethro was really finally ready to be truthful and real with him.

Grabbing his phone he decided to hit the weakest link. Dialing the number he waited for it to be connected.

"Timothy, didn't I just see you," Ducky chortled good-naturedly.

"Where is Jethro? I know something is up, he would never miss Ronnie's first birthday. Not without the world coming to an end or something." He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Timothy, I can't tell you any more than I did earlier. I truthfully don't know where he is. No one does, Vance sent him out a couple of days ago. He was supposed to get a message to Vance but from what I've heard, it's been silent."

"What was he supposed to be doing?"

"I can't really tell you, my dear boy. I didn't know all the details myself. Just trust in Jethro, he'll be back before you know it."

It was clear he wouldn't get any more out of the man. He gave his thanks and disconnected. First thing he needed was someone to watch the kids while he confronted Vance.

"Pa, I sick," Petra said, right before she vomited all over the floor.

Finding out what happened to Jethro was going to have to be put on the back burner. Tim knew he could take care of himself. The one who couldn't was whimpering on the floor now.

"Oh, baby, come here." He picked her up, mess and all. Kissing her forehead, it did feel a little warm. He took her into the bathroom and gave her a quick bath to clean her up. He then wrapped her up in a big towel. Laying her in his bedroom, that used to be the den, he went about cleaning the mess and himself.

When he got back to her she was still whimpering on the bed.

"What hurts?"

She lifted her little arm and pointed to her belly. He could tell it was going to be a long night. What he didn't know was it was going to be a long couple of days.

A stomach virus had been brought into the house. First to catch it was Petra, then Ronnie, next was Anna, he was the next lucky soul. He really thought A.J. had escaped it until he had to clean the whole couch because some chain reaction vomiting.

His whole house was quarantined for five whole days. He was too sick to be worried about Jethro, he was also too busy keeping everyone hydrated.

It wasn't until a little over a week since he heard from Jethro that he got the news. Jethro was missing, officially. No one had been able to reach him. Tony said he was sure that Jethro was purposefully staying under the radar. The man was on a mission and didn't want to be noticed. When he said it that way Tim believed him. Jethro was never one to take chances. He was very sure of his own ability. That made him feel better, he just had to remind him of that fact every once and a while.

* * *

Gibbs watched the tanks come in and out of the base. That wasn't why he was there. His fight wasn't with Shaman or his people. He was here to get a former agent and get out. He would never leave her here. Ziva didn't belong here, she would die rather than give this men the information they sought. He had a feeling one of his higher ups was involved. That was his reason for giving them radio silence. He didn't trust anyone but his team, and they couldn't be involved in this. Strictly speaking, he wasn't even supposed to be able to do this, but Vance pulled some strings. After getting off the plane in Dubai, he made his own way to the base.

That was something else that was wrong with the situation. All the coming and going that he had watched, the whole thing smelled wrong. He wondered if someone had sent him into a trap. He had to see for himself, there was no way if she was there that he would leave without her.

On the fourth night of his observation, he saw her. She looked beat to hell, but still defiant as ever. The next day he went to set his plan into motion. If he made it out of there alive, he would tell Tim the truth. He would tell him he loved him and wanted to be together, be a family. Get married, raised the kids together and grow old together. True he had quite a few years on Tim there, but the man never seemed to mind. There was a special light in Tim, one that never had been destroyed, no matter what happened to him. He just hoped he could tell the man everything he had ever wanted to.

Just as he was about to descend the hill the ground began to shake. He looked over at the base, just in time to see it a second bomb drop on it.


	40. Chapter 40

**I don't own NCIS or the characters.**

**I'm sorry for taking so long for the update, and for the twist at the end. I tried not to write it but it felt wrong not to. Hope you enjoy and review.**

Chaos rained down on the base as the bombs landed. Three more followed the first two and all Gibbs could do was watch. The entire base was reduced to rubble. He could hear screaming and crying, but then the last bomb landed and it was eerily quiet. The smoke from the wreckage was filling the air, it was hard for him to breath.

He grabbed one of his extra t-shirt from his rucksack and poured some of his water over it. Then tied the shirt around his nose and mouth. Grabbing some of his supplies he headed down to the base, he had to get Ziva's body. He wouldn't leave her there even if it was too late to save her.

Guilt ate at him as he searched the mangled bodies of Shaman's soldiers. If he would have gone down the day before Ziva would be alive. It was the same guilt that ate at him when he thought Tim was dead. He knew Ziva was a strong person but even she couldn't survive a bomb. He was so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't hear the man sneak up on him.

* * *

Tony had been living on the couch for the past two days. It seemed that his impromptu visit while they were still sick had gotten him sick as well. Since he was single again and didn't have anyone to look after him, Tim agreed to do it. His family was better and now Tony was on the mend.

But then that morning the call came in, and Tony had run out of the house. Tim didn't know if it was something to do with one of his cases or just maybe it was something about Jethro. He tried to calm down the hope that bubbled up in his chest. If it was bad news Tony would have told him right away. But that hadn't happened, he had just run out. That had to be good news, right?

He was working nights for the time being, it was easier to have someone watched the kids while they were sleeping. It had been two weeks since he had a full night's sleep – the last night Jethro was around. The night that it seemed that things were getting better.

_Tim had just put Ronnie in her crib, she was already asleep. They were over at Jethro's house for the night. They thought it was better to have a family dinner at least twice a week. The twins were already asleep in their toddler beds. As he quietly stepped out of the nursery he bumped into Jethro._

_"They asleep already?" Jethro asked._

_"Yeah, the twins fell asleep almost immediately after their bath. Took a little longer for the baby, she had a bottle and finally fell asleep. Anna?"_

_"She talked me into reading five chapters tonight." Tim didn't believe it at all. Anna was getting to the age where she wanted to read the books herself until lights out._

_"Sure, and it had nothing to do with you trying to get out of giving the babies a bath. Or helping with getting them all asleep. You just happened to take on the one that needs no help getting ready for bed."_

_He laughed at the slight look of guilt on Jethro's face. It was becoming an every night thing. Tim would start to get the kids ready for bed and Jethro would disappear. It was becoming a game between them, one that he knew Jethro didn't think he was aware of._

_"Sorry," he mumbled. "Do you have to be getting home soon?"_

_This surprised Tim, ever since they broke up they only talked about the kids. Jethro must want to talk about the kids without them hearing the conversation. That worried him, he hoped Jethro wasn't going to insist on changing their arrangement._

_"I have some time, all I was planning was a shower and turning in early."_

_Jethro gave him a small smile and led him downstairs._

_"Coffee or beer?" Jethro asked._

_"Just water, medication remember?"_

_"Sorry," he mumbled before pulling out a bottled water and a beer._

_They sat down at the table that they had just cleaned after dinner. He expected Jethro to talk but he was silent. It looked like a couple times he was going to say something but failed to._

_"So, how's Lorna?" Tim asked._

_Lorna was the woman Jethro had been causally dating. She hadn't met any of the kids but was pushing Jethro for it. He had asked Tim if it was okay, that had been hard to hear. He told Jethro that he only wanted his kids to meet her if Jethro was going to propose. The thought of his kids getting attached to someone just to be ripped away from them was disheartening._

_The fact that he hated everything about Lorna didn't help. He had been introduced to her a few months earlier, she had been cold to him. Abby had been watching the children while they went out to dinner. Her voice had little warmth to it. She was at least ten years older than him, and treated him even younger. When Jethro left the table to take a call she told him that he needed to get out of Jethro's life and let him go._

_It was a very bizarre statement, he hadn't been with the man since before Ronnie was born. They were only around each other for the kids. But that didn't matter to the woman, she apparently just saw what she wanted to see. And what she wanted to see was someone willing to jump into bed with Jethro at the drop of a hat. Sad but true, it used to be right, but not now, now he had respect for himself._

_"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Tim's heart sieged in his chest, this was it. Jethro was going to tell him that he was getting married. Their children would have a stepmother, a stepmother that disliked him. "I've decided to end it with her."_

_Tim blinked. "What?" He couldn't believe his ears, they had been dating for months. He thought Jethro was going to announce the engagement any day now._

_"She made the mistake of trying to tell me how it was going to be. As soon as she said we should try and get full custody, I knew it was time to end it. I wanted to apologize to you. She was cold to you the times you saw her, I'm sorry for not stopping it then."_

_It was just too much, he never thought Jethro would end it because of him. He also couldn't believe that woman wanted to take his children away from him, she never even met them. The Jethro from before might have even agreed with her, but he didn't now. Now he sided with Tim, and that was wonderful news to hear._

_"Thank you," he said quietly._

_Jethro drained the rest of his beer and stood up. Then he surprised Tim, he walked over to where he was sitting and pulled him up._

_"I don't want to be with anyone else, I'm tired of playing these games." Tim gasped as Jethro drew him into a kiss. He was so shocked he didn't respond right away. But then like his lips had a mind of their own, he started to kiss Jethro back._

_He didn't pull back when Jethro led him to the living room couch. Instead when the older man sat, Tim straddled his lap. It had been a long time since he was touched. And it was never like this before. Before Jethro seemed to be just filling his own needs. But now it was like he was pouring everything he couldn't say into the kiss._

_He felt Jethro's hands settle on his hips. He slid his hands up and down Jethro's chest. The man was wearing a simple t-shirt, he wished it would have been a button up. He used to like slowly unbuttoning Jethro's work shirts._

_"Daddy," Anna yelled from her room, they both broke apart._

_"I guess we'll have to finished this tomorrow night," Jethro said, grinning at him._

_It had been slow going to get a friendship going between them along with co-parents. When Jethro introduced him to Lorna he thought it was all over. But now… now Jethro wanted him. The look in his eyes told Tim that this was real. For the first time in a while he was excited about what was next._

That had been the day before Jethro was called away. They never did get their next night. It was a mistake he would fix when Jethro came home, and he would come home. There was too much he left behind to go and do something stupid… like die.

His cell phone started ringing. He looked at it like it was a snake. The display read a number he didn't know with a name withheld.

"Hello," he answered it.

"Hey, have you missed me?" a voice said into the phone. It was a voice he heard in his nightmares.

He shook his head, his body shaking violently. "It can't be you. You're dead," he screamed.

He threw the phone across room, it hit the wall and shattered. The sound must have woken the babies from there naps. Too shaken to even walk he slid to the floor. There was no way Brandon Stacks was still alive. He had been told the man had been killed by a fellow prisoner. Tim told to Stack's in-laws every few months. They had custody of their grandchildren after their daughter was put in an institution. She had gone over the edge and kidnapped Anna.

They said she had delusions that her husband was still alive. For the first time it occurred to him that she wasn't crazy, she was just evil like her husband.

No… there was no way the man was alive. It wasn't possible. Brandon Stacks was dead, and he wasn't coming back. It had just been a wrong number, lots of people sound alike.

With that thought helping him he got up. The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur. He picked Anna up from school, brought them home. A little after dinner Tony showed up. Tim had forgotten about how he left that morning until Tony came in.

"Guess what?" he said, beaming at Tim.

"What?"

"I talked to someone in MTAC today," he said vaguely.

"Oh yeah, who?" he asked not really caring.

"Former NCIS agent Ziva David."

Tim's eyes shot to Tony, he had heard about Ziva a lot from everyone. "How is she?"

"Fine, she's in Dubai right now. As soon as Gibbs is ready to move he's on his way." Tony's smile was blinding.

"Jethro, they found him?" He couldn't believe his ears. After what had happened earlier he felt like it had to be a cruel joke.

"Nope, he was on a rescue mission. No use keeping it a secret anymore. They were afraid you would look into your database at work for Ziva. That's who he was trying to find. But he also suspected there was a mole in NCIS, so he couldn't risk you being dragged into this. Well, he found Ziva just before the base she was at was bombed to hell.

"Lucky for Gibbs, Ziva never really did well playing the damsel in distress. She broke free about an hour before the bombs dropped. As she was making her way out of the area she saw Gibbs shot."

"SHOT!" he yelled.

"He's fine, Ziva took the guy out. They're leaving in the morning, that's the soonest the doctor will release him. Don't worry, it was a through and through shot."

Tim couldn't help himself, he through his arms around Tony to hug him. He was lucky that Tony allowed it for a minute before pushing him away, he had a light smile on his face now. Everything was going to be great now, it had to be.


	41. Chapter 41

**I don't own NCIS or the characters.**

**Sorry it's been a while. I kept on writing this chapter and throwing it out. I hope you all like this one.**

Anna had talked Tim into throwing a second first birthday party for Ronnie. It would be a birthday party and homecoming for Jethro and Ziva. His daughter was over the moon about seeing Ziva again. The twins liked the word party, so they were on board. Ronnie was as oblivious as she was the first time.

Abby had taken Anna and Petra out to get new outfits. Tony took A.J. with him to do "man stuff", whatever the hell that meant. Tim was just glad it was just him and Ronnie, it was easier to plan the elaborate party that Anna had told him they needed to have. According to Tony they had until tomorrow morning to have everything ready.

He was just writing out his grocery list when someone started knocking at the door. He left Ronnie playing with her toys on the floor and headed for the door.

Opening the door he paused, standing there was Lorna.

"Hello," he said, confused.

"Tim, I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Umm… Sure."

"Inside?"

He was wary to let her inside but at least the bigger kids were gone. They would be asking who the strange lady was. There was no real choice, he had to let her in to find out what she wanted. The only plus was that he knew she and Jethro were over, nothing she said could change that.

"Would you like a drink?" he offered as she sat down on the couch.

"No, thank you though. I promise, I won't be more than a minute." Her eyes slid down to watch Ronnie playing with a music box. "She's gorgeous."

"Thanks."

"Leroy told me what a hard time you had with postpartum depression."

That bothered him, he didn't like the idea of this woman knowing personal details about him. Especially one as private as his illness.

"So how can I help you?" he asked to change the subject.

"I've been calling Leroy for the past couple days and been unable to reach him. I just went by his house and no answer."

"Jethro is on a work assignment." He didn't share that Jethro was coming back tomorrow morning.

"Ah, well that does explain things. He usually never goes this long without calling me." She leaned down and picked up Ronnie from the floor. Tim did everything in his power not to rip her away from the woman.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought you two broke up."

"Oh, that was before the new development."

"And what is that?"

"I'm pregnant," she said, tickling Ronnie's belly.

The world seemed to stop for Tim. Those words bounced around his head, he couldn't made sense of it.

"That's not possible. When I was pregnant with Ronnie he got a vasectomy."

She looked surprised but then covered it up. "Well, I'm here to tell you it didn't work. I have the pregnancy tests and the doctor's order for prenatal vitamins to prove it."

"How far along are you?" he asked numbly. He had heard about vasectomies failing before but it was supposed to be rare.

"Three months, I didn't even know I was pregnant until last week. My pants started getting harder to button. Leroy will be so excited, he told me how much he wanted a traditional family. We'll have to move of course, his place is much too small for five children."

"He broke up with you," he reminded her again.

"Because he thought you were his only chance for a family, he told me so. Now he can have it all."

Tim got up and plucked Ronnie out of the woman's arms. "He told me it was because you were talking about full custody of my children."

"Oh that, I was just trying to make him happy. Now, I see that you want to keep this tie on him. But it doesn't change the fact that he wants a real family."

"He has a real family," Tim snapped.

"Well, I've said what I needed to say. When he gets back have him call me, if not I'll drop by the house again."

"Get out of my house," he demanded.

The woman had a smirk on her face as she walked to the door. "I hope it's a boy, Leroy wants a son more than anything."

"He has a son," Tim said angrily as he followed her to the door.

"Oh, I mean a real son, one that doesn't play with dolls."

"You know nothing about any of my children. Leave, I don't want to see your face anywhere near any of my children."

* * *

It took almost an hour to calm down after that horrid woman left. Ronnie was extremely upset too, she must have been feeling his emotions. She was almost inconsolable for most of the hour that followed. He didn't know if it was because he had yelled at the woman or she had felt the tension.

"Papa, look what we got!" Anna yelled as she ran through the door. She was holding up a bright pink dress just the perfect size for Ronnie.

"Did you pick that out for your little sister?" he asked.

"Nope, Abby did. I wanted to get her the leopard one. But Abby said leopard print wouldn't look good on Ronnie."

Abby came in soon after with arms full of bags. Petra was toddling at her side. She wasn't wearing the outfit she left in.

"Why is my daughter wearing that ugly green monstrosity? It was a long and puke green. It was the ugliest dress he had ever seen. And that was saying something because his sister had horrible taste in clothes.

"She is wearing it because she picked it out. She wouldn't take it off after trying it on, then proceeded to scream and cry. I just paid for it and went on, I'm not getting paid enough to wrestle the dress away from her."

"You're not getting paid at all," he said, smiling.

"Well, I should be getting paid in the millions. I didn't know your daughter was such a diva."

"Sorry, A.J. is the easy-going child. The rest are too much like Jethro."

Abby snorted. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

The memory of the woman coming into his house and saying the things she had resurfaced. It made little bits of doubt wiggle into his brain. Maybe Jethro did want a traditional family. He used to want that, he had told Tim. But he tried to make it work for the kids. That was no way to make a lifelong commitment. He thought everything had changed though, the way Jethro looked at him before he left. It was a promise of love and devotion. It was a promise of things to come.

"Abby?" he asked quietly.

"What's up, Timmy?"

"Anna, can you take the twins out back to play for a little bit." Jethro had fenced in both of their backyards so the kids could play.

Anna looked at him suspiciously before taking a hand from each of the twins and leading them to the kitchen door that led to the back.

He dropped down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. The question was on the tip of his tongue but did he want to ask it.

"Abby, I don't know what to do," he murmured into had hands.

"About what?" she asked as she sank down beside him.

"I thought Jethro and I were really going to be together this time. Before he left it was like he really wanted me. No one's ever really wanted me. Wanted to use me, yes. But not wanted me to keep."

"Of course he wants to keep you," Abby said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If it were only so simple.

"Remember Lorna?"

"What about her? She was a place-filler. We all knew it; just until you and Gibbs worked through your problems."

"She's pregnant."

Abby gasped. "Bu-but, I thought…"

"Snipped? Yeah, he is. But there is a chance of failure."

"But it's really rare," Abby protested.

"I know, but that means it's still a possibility. She says she's three months along. Jethro told her about my postpartum. Did you know that?" Abby shook her head. "I can't do this, I thought everything was going to be better. What if Jethro goes back to her? What if he wants to raise our children in his house with her because it's more traditional?"

"First, Jethro wouldn't try and take the kids away from you. If he even attempted it you have a written agreement now. Second, Jethro wouldn't go back to her, she's an awful person. Third, everything will be better. Just don't go thinking the worse. Tell him what she said and met whatever comes head on…together."

He wrapped his arms around Abby and hugged her tight. It was such a tender moment and they were so wrapped up in it, they didn't notice the little girl listening in.

Anna knew her dad was dating some lady. She hadn't gotten to meet her, nor did she want to. Now the woman was pregnant and going to have her little brother or sister. She didn't want any more brothers and sisters. There was the four of them, which was enough. She had to find out a way to get rid of the woman who dared try and take her dad away from her papa.

* * *

Tim had asked Abby to stay with the littles while he took Anna to the grocery store. The need to get out of the house was riding him hard. Anna wanted to pick out the cake they were going to make.

"Dad is going to love this cake," Anna said as she picked out vanilla cake with cream cheese icing.

"I'm sure he will," he told her. He grabbed some can mushroom soup for the casserole. "Oh excuse me," he said when he bumped into someone.

"No problem, if fact I wouldn't mind you running into me again."

Taken aback Tim looked up to see the man. The man was really good looking. His black skin glistened with sweat, he looked like he had just gotten done exercising. He was wearing sweatpants and fitted t-shirt. The man also had a couple inches of height on him.

It took a minute to remember he was sort've taken and a father. The father part became clear when he heard his daughter.

"Papa, why is that man touching you?" she all but growled.

The guy looked down at Anna and let go of Tim's arm, he hadn't ever realized he was holding him.

"Sorry," the man mumbled but brushed against Tim's ass as he walked past him.

"Who was that?" Anna demanded after the man left.

"No idea, someone who doesn't do boundaries so well." As he paid for his purchases he found a card in his pocket. Damn, the man had slipped his card in his pocket without him even noticing.

Anna thought about the strange man who kept touching her papa. Only her dad was allowed to do that, but he had a girlfriend. Maybe if her dad thought someone else wanted to date her papa he would ask Papa to marry him. She had seen the man put something in her papa's pocket. Now her plan had two parts. Part one, get rid of the woman. Part two, make Dad jealous enough that he never thinks about leaving her papa again. She smiled to herself when she went to bed that night. Tomorrow, she would start her plot.


	42. Chapter 42

**I don't own NCIS or the characters.**

**I'm so sorry for taking so long. I just couldn't get this chapter right. I tossed my last attempt and wrote this one. I haven't reread it so expect misspelled words and stuff like that. I hope you like this chapter. There is only two chapters left.**

"No, you have to hide," Anna told the twins for the third time.

Tony had just pulled up with her dad and Ziva. Everyone was already hiding except her and the twins. Papa was hiding in the kitchen with Ronnie, Ducky was in behind the curtain. Abby was ducked down behind the couch. Anna was going to hid in the closet but the twins wouldn't move.

"Hurry get behind the chair," she told them. She grabbed their hands and let them to the chair. They finally stayed and she ran over to the closet and got in.

Tony had told both Gibbs and Ziva about the kids surprise party. It was supposed to be Ronnie's second first birthday and a coming home party. Tony didn't think it was a good idea for a bunch of people jumping out at two trained killers when they just had a trauma. It was Tim's idea to give them a warning because he didn't want any of his children scared. And Ziva or Gibbs pulling a gun would have been very scary.

Gibbs was the first one to the door and opened it.

"Surprise," was yelled out by Anna and Abby.

"Welcome home," was called out by Tim and Ducky.

And the twins who seemed a bit lost in what they were supposed to do yelled, "Happy Birthday."

Gibbs was glad Tony gave them the heads up. They both were still on edge from their ordeal. He smiled when Anna ran to Ziva and gave her a big hug. She told Ziva about how much she missed her. Then she introduced her to her siblings.

The party continued and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It wasn't until someone knocked on the door that Gibbs noticed something was off with Tim. Tim had been in the kitchen most of the party not really talking to anyone.

Gibbs went to answer the door and was surprised who was there.

"Lorna, what are you doing here?" He had ended things with her because he couldn't get over how she talked about Tim. Well, that and he still had feelings for Tim.

"I didn't think your boytoy would tell you so I came to make sure you knew."

He was confused but he knew that was a dig at Tim. It hadn't been the first time she said something like that about him.

"Lorna, I'm having a party with my family and friends, which you are neither. Would you please leave."

"Fine, just thought you'd like to know I'm pregnant and it's yours."

Gibbs laughed. "You need to try that on someone else. I've been snipped."

"Well, you should get rechecked because I promise you, I wasn't with anyone else."

That made him pause. He hadn't gone back to be rechecked after the procedure. It was because work had become very hectic. But she had to be lying. He had the surgery. They had also used protection every time. He wasn't trusting his life with someone he didn't trust with his house key.

"We'll just have a paternity test done," he said hoarsely.

"We have to wait until the baby is born. There is no way I'm risking our baby's life." She leaned in close to him. "And get rid of the boytoy if you ever want to see this baby. He's not right in the head, I don't think you should leave any of the children with him."

She turned and left after that. Gibbs was stunned silent. He didn't know what to do. His thoughts were interrupted when Anna called everyone to the table to watch Ronnie blow out her candle…again.

The party wrapped up and everyone except Tim and the kids left. Ziva left with Tony instead of Abby who invited her to stay with her. It was none of his business though. He did hope they both found whatever they were looking for though.

"I'm so glad you home, Daddy," Anna said, hugging him. She didn't call him daddy very often anymore so anytime she did was like winning the lottery. He was mostly just dad.

"I'm glad to be home too." He hugged her back and got off the couch he had been sitting on.

He found Tim in the kitchen yet again. He had something he wanted to ask him and he didn't want to put it off anymore. Lorna would take her ulitmatiums and stick them where the sun doesn't shine. He wasn't giving up Tim again. If the baby was by chance his he would be in its life. But there was no way he was throwing away his family for a spiteful, mean-spirited woman like that.

"Tim, after the kids go to bed I'd like to stay for a while. I have something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure," Tim said, inwardly groaning. He didn't know what Jethro wanted to talk about but it worried him.

After Tim got Ronnie down for the night he went into the living room to face the music. He was surprised at what he found. Candles were lit all over the living room. Jethro was on one knee in front of the fireplace with a box in his hand. The other arm was still in a sling for him getting shot.

"W-What?" Tim stammered.

"Come closer. I have a question I would like to ask you."

Tim walked over, feeling like he was in a trance. This couldn't be happening. There was no way on this earth that Jethro would propose to him. Jethro had never even made any kind of marriage talk.

"Timothy McGee, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Tim stood there frozen as Jethro flicked open the ring box. Inside sat a simple but beautiful platinum wedding ring. His breath caught, he didn't know what to do or say. Did he want to marry Jethro? When he thought about it there was only one answer.

"Yes," he whispered, tears threating to spill.

* * *

Tim groaned as he got out of bed. Jethro told him that he wasn't going to take any sick time off. So that left Tim alone in the morning. Tim decided to take the day off and run some errands. Jethro took the twins and Ronnie with him to drop them off at the daycare.

Tim had just left the realtors office. While he loved his home and Jethro loved his they both decided to get a new house together. A bigger house that their kids could grew up in. He knew it would take a while for his house to sell so he wasn't in any hurry to move. The wedding was a month away. Neither of them wanted a long engagement or a big wedding. Just a few family and friends, then that would be it.

His phone started ringing and he hit the handless button without looking.

"McGee," he answered the phone.

"I love hearing your voice," the familiar voice purred.

Tim's stomach fell like a lead balloon when he heard that voice. There was no way he was hearing him again. He had convinced himself that the call before had to be a mistake. But here the voice was again.

"You're dead," he yelled before disconnecting the phone. He barely missed hitting a parked car. His heart was beating out of control and he felt himself sinking into the bad part of his mind again. It was a place he spent most of the time after his rape.

Brandon Stacks was dead; he had made sure of that. Stacks was gone, there was no way he could be calling from beyond the grave. But he was calling, that was him. Nothing was making any sense to Tim anymore. He then thought of Abby. She had always been a help. Maybe she would be able to help him with finding out who was calling.

He turned his car around and started heading for NCIS. The whole drive was filled with terror. The man was long dead but it was like his past wasn't ever going to let him go.

Once there he headed straight for Abby's lab. They gave Abby much more leeway that they did Tim. He was in a room with four others in Cyber Crimes. He couldn't do anything without four other pairs of eyes seeing what he was doing.

He knocked on her door before he heard the yell for him to come in.

"Hey, what do I owe for this visit?" she asked, smiling.

"I was wondering if you could trace a number for me?"

"You can trace a number," she said, looking at him like he was crazy.

Abby looked at Tim and noticed how shaken he was. She didn't know what was going on but she would help him.

"What's the number?"

After a few hits on her keyboard she gave him the bad news.

"It's a prepaid phone, Tim. I'm sorry."

"Can you track it?"

A couple more hits to the keyboard and she had her answer.

"Tim, look," she said pointing at the screen.

It was centered on his right over his house. Anger and fear battled it out inside of him. Anger seemed to be the one that won. He left without even saying another thing to Abby.

Just as he started to exit the building he ran into Jethro.

"What's wrong?" Jethro asked, he must have seen the anger in Tim.

"I've been getting calls for Stacks. He just called my phone again. It's the second time."

"Brandon Stacks?" Jethro asked, his eyes darkened.

"Yes."

"Tim, Brandon Stacks is dead."

"I know but what if he isn't."

"He is."

"He called from a prepaid phone. It's in my house. He's in my house."

"He's dead."

"Then you won't have a problem with me going home." It almost sounded like a dare to Gibbs' ears.

"I'll take you home. We can drive in tomorrow." There was no give in his voice, this was what was going to happen.

Tim was on pins and needles the whole trip. Earlier when the call came in he was sure Brandon Stacks was dead. But now that he thought about it more. The man had to be alive. How else was he calling him?

Once they arrived at the house Tim jumped out of the car. He had the door unlocked, ignoring Jethro's calls to stop.

"I know you're in here!" he yelled into the living room. "Come out now!"

"Tim, calm down."

"No, Jethro. He's here. I know he is. Come out you coward. Stop hiding behind a phone number."

Tim pulled his phone out and called the number that had called him. He heard it ringing upstairs. Running he followed the ringing into his room. He heard Jethro behind him. The ringing was coming from inside his room.

"You can't run now," he shouted as he opened the door.

There was no one inside his room. He heard the ringing coming from closet. He slowly walked to the closet. He opened the door expecting to see Brandon Stacks. But what he saw shocked him more, or should he say what he didn't see. There was no one there. The ringing was coming from a box on the top shelf. He didn't recognize the box though. He grabbed it and pulled it down.

"What's that?" Jethro asked.

Tim shook his head but removed the top. Inside was several prepaid phones. There was at least six of them.

"I don't know."

"Tim, what are you doing with all these phones?"

Tim's head shot up and he looked at Jethro. "What are you talking about. I didn't do this, it was Stacks."

"Brandon Stacks is dead and buried."

"No, that's just what he wants you to think. He's here, I know he is." Tim turned around. "Come out you coward!" he yelled again.

"Tim, please calm down. Maybe we should call Dr. Garrett." Dr. Garrett was his new psychologist.

"I'm not crazy," he denied.

"I'm not saying that. I just think you need to talk to your doctor."

"You think I'm doing this. Do you think I called myself?"

"Tim, the doctor said you still might have some bouts would paranoia."

"Get out!"

"Tim."

"I said get out! I'm not crazy and Brandon Stacks is alive. You'll see. Now would you kindly get out of my house before I call the police." He pulled the ring off his finger and threw it at Jethro. "And take your ring and lies with it."

"I love you. Please, don't do this," Jethro pleaded. If Tim hadn't been so mad he would have seen the agony in Jethro's eyes.

"You love me? That's rich since you're having a baby with Lorna. Just leave me alone."

"Tim -

"No. If you loved me you would believe me. You obviously don't. All those lies about wanting me. Go, go back to Lorna and have your perfectly straight, normal life. Just leave me and my kids alone."

"Do you hear yourself?"

Tim's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He couldn't control his mouth. He knew the words were wrong but he was so mad at Jethro.

"Just leave," he whispered.

That was finally what seemed to make Jethro realize that he needed to leave.

"Just call me tonight okay? I'm going back to work. It's my night with the kids but we can come over anyway."

"No, maybe we just need a night off."

Jethro nodded before heading out the door. Once he heard the down stairs door close he threw the box of phones on his bed. He was going to prove Brandon Stacks was alive even if it killed him. Everyone will see the truth then.


	43. Chapter 43

**I don't own NCIS or the Characters.**

**This is the second to last chapter. I hope this is up to par, everyone has been so kind with this story, thank you.**

Gibbs had known he messed up as soon as he opened his mouth. He had just been so worried that Tim would have a relapse and this was just the kind of thing the doctor warned him about.

But Tim had seemed so sure Brandon Stacks was calling him. He couldn't do that unless it was from the grave. He had talked to the doctor who pronounced him dead after Stacks was stabbed. The thing that bothered Gibbs the most was the phones. If Tim was really behind the calls why would he led him right to them?

There were only two possibilities. One – Tim really was relapsing and hard. Two – someone was trying to make Tim or others think he was losing his mind.

He really needed to talk to Tim and find out what was going on. First he needed to make sure Brandon Stacks was still six-feet under.

A few calls and he was set. Stacks had been autopsied and cremated five years ago. There was no way the person calling Tim cold be Stacks. Now all he needed to do is get Tim to talk to him again.

Gibbs got the kids up and dressed for the day. Anna tried on three different outfits before choosing a blue dress with daffodils on it. He just threw on clothes he thought matched on the younger three. He needed to feed them before they headed over to Tim's.

"What do I call the new guy?" Anna suddenly asked.

Gibbs didn't have the faintest idea what she was talking about. "What do you call what new guy?"

"The one that was touching Papa at the store before you came home."

Gibbs was speechless. Tim was with some guy at the store. Not only that he was with this guy in front of their daughter.

"What do you mean, what do you call him?"

"Well, if you're Dad and Papa is Papa then what do I call the new guy? Father maybe?"

Gibbs was seeing red. Every insecure thought that he ever had about his relationship with Tim started to resurface. Thoughts about him being too old for Tim. Thoughts about how standoffish he his, that Tim would find someone more affectionate. Tim came from a family with money, Gibbs was okay in life but didn't have the kind of money Tim had grown up with

Just when his thoughts started to swirl out of control something occurred to him. He had asked Tim to marry him and Tim agreed. After he made up with Tim about their fight everything would be perfect. There was no way he was letting his family go. And the thought of Tim running off with someone he just met was laughable. He was the most down to earth person Gibbs had ever met. All Tim had ever wanted was a family that accepted him, and now that he had it he wouldn't throw it away.

"You won't have to call him anything. You only have me and your papa." He saw Anna's mouth open to reply so he decided to let her in on their secret. "I've asked your papa to marry me."

"You did?" Anna asked bouncing on her toes. "What did he say?"

"Yes, of course. How could he say no? You, me and the littles, that's all we ever wanted. And now that I've got my head out of you know where, we'll have everything we always wanted."

Anna squealed again and ran for the front door. "I've got to see Papa. He must be so excited."

"Not right now, Anna. Papa wasn't feeling well last night. Let's give him a day before we go on the offensive."

He was finally able to get Anna to calm down. He made it a goal to talk to Tim at work. Gibbs had seen Tony's car swing by Tim's house just before Anna caught the bus. He must have called him to get a ride in because Gibbs had drove him home the day before, leaving his car in the parking garage.

It was Tim's night with the kids so he had them dressed and ready to head over to his house. It was good the walk wasn't too far. He had Ronnie in one arm and their stuffed animal bag slung over his sling. Anna had her book bag and the twins were racing each other to the house.

"Papa said he was going to make chicken pot pie tonight," Anna said as she skipped along.

"That sounds great," he told her.

"Petra doesn't like chicken though, so Papa is going to have to make hers special."

Gibbs looked down at Petra. "You don't like chicken?"

She shook her little blonde head. "Ucky."

"Hmm. I didn't know that," he commented to no one in particular. Then he looked down at his son. "How about you A.J., do you like chicken?"

A.J. nodded his dirty blonde head and grinned. "I love chicken." His words came out clearer than his sister's. He also had a larger vocabulary than she did. She was more of a daredevil though.

He didn't realize the twins were getting big enough to let their likes and dislikes be known by saying the words yet. He wanted his family whole again. He wanted them all under the same roof again…every night.

Gibbs knocked on Tim's front door. After a few minutes and no answer, he rang the doorbell. Still no answer. He finally pulled his keys out of his pocket to use his spare key to unlock the door. It was then he noticed the key was no longer there.

_How long has that been missing?_

He sat Ronnie down on her still shaky legs. She could walk but wasn't great at it. He started banging on the door harder. "Tim, open the damn door!"

"I'll use my key, Dad," Anna said as she dug into her book bag.

"You have a key?"

"Of course, don't you?"

"I used to but I must have lost it."

"You needed a chain like Papa got me." She held up the key attached to a bright green keychain.

Once the door was open he picked Ronnie back up and they walked into the house. It was silent. The security system beeped, he walked over and put the code in.

Tim's car was still in the drive so he must still be there.

"Tim!" he called.

"Papa!" Anna yelled, running up the stairs.

"Pa," Ronnie echoed.

They searched the house but couldn't find him. He was about to start to panic when Anna spoke up.

"Did you check the basement?"

The basement wasn't like his own. It was small and Tim could only fit some boxes and foldup chairs down there. Everywhere else down there had been blocked up.

* * *

Tim was sitting on the folding chair when Jethro and the kids came in. He watched them look for him from his laptop. He had placed cameras around the house. Every room had at least one camera in it except the bathroom; it had a camera across the hall so he could see anyone coming in and out. He would catch Brandon; he would do it if it was the last thing he would do.

"Tim." He heard Jethro's voice on the stairs down to the basement.

"What?"

"What the hell are you doing down here?"

"I've set a trap for Brandon. You should take the kids back to your place. Or better yet, a hotel."

He didn't take his eyes off the multiple shots. He had set up two other monitors besides his laptop, each having four point-of-view shots in them.

"Tim, what the hell?" He could feel Jethro behind him but he couldn't stop looking from one shot to the next.

He saw Anna trying to get Ronnie to play with her music toy in the living room. He saw Petra trying to reach the sweets on the kitchen table. Then there was A.J. playing with his dollhouse. Jethro had made the house for him for the twins' birthday.

"I told you. Get the kids and leave. Brandon should be here soon."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he sneaks in here every day."

"How? You have locks and a security system."

"He must have a key, and know the code."

"Do you hear yourself? The man is dead and buried."

"No, that's what he wants everyone to think. But I know…I know he was here. I didn't get those phones and I didn't call myself. You have to believe me."

Jethro bent down in front of him, grabbing his hands. "I do believe you. I'm sorry that's how it sounded last night. I believe someone is messing with you but I don't believe it's Stacks. Someone is trying to make you think you're losing your mind or make me think you're losing your mind. And I think I know who that person is."

Tim looked up from the screen he was staring at. "Who?"

"I think it's Lorna."

"She's a terrible person but why would she do that."

"You have your house pretty secure but we both know mine is better. The only people who get into my house are the people I want in. There's also the issue with my key to your place…it's missing. Everyone else, besides her that I let into my house, I trust with my life and the lives of my children. She is the only one who had the time and opportunity. She's always said horrible things about you.

"At first I thought it was just harmless jealousy but I don't think anything is harmless in it anymore. I always have my keys on me, the only time someone had a chance to get them was when I was in the shower or sleeping. She would be the only one besides you and the kids to have that chance."

Tim's face reddened with anger. "I knew she was an evil person. The things she would say when you weren't there. I just don't understand why she would do this though. You two aren't together anymore."

"Tim think about it. For her to steal the key she had to have planned this out before I ended things. There is something wrong with her in the head, I just didn't see it before. I'm sorry, but I will fix this. I want you to take the kids and go to Ducky's."

"What are you going to do?" Tim asked in a quiet voice, very different from his pissed off voice just a minute ago.

"I'm going to take care of my family. I can't do that unless I know you're safe. Get the kids and take them in your car, she needs to know you're not here."

Gibbs sat in the basement staring at the monitors that Tim had set up. He didn't know but he believed Tim was right; whoever was doing this was going to make a move today. And when they did he was going to be there to take them down.

* * *

It was four hours after Tim left with the kids that his vigilance paid off. Gibbs watched the front door open and a red-hooded figure walk over to the security pad and enter the code. When the figure turned around he had his suspicions confirmed. Standing there in an overly large red hoody and black sweat pants was Lorna.

Instead of going up to confront her he just watched. He wanted to know what her game was. First she walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She pulled out the milk and dropped a few drops of something into the jug. She lightly shook the milk and placed it back into the fridge, then she pocketed the bottle with the dropper.

He had a bad feeling about what she put into the milk. It worried him more that this might not have been her first time doing this. Tim and their children drink that milk. What if it was poison? What if they were sick right now?

"That's not going to help anyone. Just what a few more minutes," he muttered to himself.

After just barely stopping himself from going upstairs he turned back to the monitors. She was now in Anna's room. The camera in there was pointed towards Anna's desk and door. Lorna opened Anna's desk drawer and pulled out a small book. He recognized it as a book Tim got for her. It was the first present he had ever gotten her. Lorna opened the book and ripped out a page and crumbled it up, shoving the page into her pocket. She then closed the book and put it back in the drawer. He was flabbergasted, she destroyed something of his daughter's out of spite. A sick feeling came over him when he thought about sleeping with this woman. He hoped to God she wasn't pregnant with his child.

Lorna continued on her vengeful path. He watched as she tore the heads off of several of A.J.'s dolls. She poured toilet water on Petra's bed. He was starting to think this was her final act. None of this stuff could be hid. This was her end game, whatever it was.

He tensed up when she walked into Tim's room. Aside from whatever she put in the milk everything else was child's play. He had a feeling in his gut this wouldn't be.

First, she picked up each of Tim's pillows, bringing them to her nose to smell them. That wasn't weird. Then she started rummaging through Tim's dresser drawers and his desk. Tim's room really wasn't a room it was a small office that he was able to put a small twin sized bed in so there wasn't a lot to look for. The closet was tiny, he was surprised Lorna hid the phones in a place so small and easy to find.

She pulled out a watch box. It held Tim's grandfather's watch, he had shown it to him just the day before. He soon started to worry she had a camera in the house too but it was clear she didn't know she was being watched now.

The watch was thrown onto the floor and she stomped on it. It had happened too quick for him to save Tim's last memento from his grandfather. Gibbs was done watching though, she planned to destroy things Tim held dear to him.

Just as he was about to move something on the monitor caught his eye. She had pulled something else out of the drawer. He had to strain his eyes to see what it was. Quickly getting up he ran up the stairs. He hit the landing and ran for the stairs to the second floor.

"Stop!" he yelled when he got close to the door.

He had been too late for the watch but he wouldn't be for the baby blanket. Tim had shown it to him years ago, right after the twins were born. It was a plain white thin hospital newborn blanket. It had a green and blue strip around the edges. It had been the blanket that they first put around Anna when she was born. Tim had told him that it was his most valuable possession. When he didn't know where Anna was or what she was doing he would hold it close to him. He said it made him feel like she was real when he couldn't talk about her to anyone. Tim had told him above everything he had it was the possession that meant the most to him.

Lorna smiled at Gibbs before running the knife she was holding through the blanket. For the second time that day he wondered about how the woman seemed to know about these things. Anna's book, A.J.'s favorite dolls, Tim's dearest possessions. Once he took care of her he would have Abby over to look for a bug.

"What are you doing Lorna?"

"I've tried to play fair but you wouldn't let me. You just kept running back to him. No matter that he didn't want you anymore. He just wanted to keep his claws in you but he didn't want you. He still doesn't want you, it's all a lie. But you chase after him, do you know how pathetic that makes you?"

Gibbs started to think he missed something in translation. It didn't seem she wanted him but she was trying to ruin his relationship with Tim.

"What is your game?" he asked her.

"I so sick of you. Do you think for a second I really wanted you? Just having you touch me made me want to vomit."

"The baby?"

"There is no baby, it was a lie."

"So this is about Tim?"

"Of course not."

"Then what is this about?"

"It's about you Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It's about how you never wanted a child after you lost your first daughter. It's about how after a year of begging you finally agreed to adopt a child with your wife. It's about you throwing that wife away and still adopting the baby. You didn't care enough about her to work things out with her. But you did care about a baby that you hadn't even met. Then you marry and have three more children. What was it about her that you found so unlovable?"

His head was spinning with the new information. This was all about Stephanie? He had spoken to the woman years ago; she was getting remarried. She had finally found her Prince Charming in a banker from Burbank, California.

"What does Stef have anything to do with this? We've been divorced for almost ten years."

"You broke her; did you know that? After your divorce she married some abusive ass just so people wouldn't pity her. That didn't work out very well. Did you know that man ended up killing her? Do you care?"

Stephanie was dead? He hadn't known that. He did care too, but nothing made sense. No one from Stephanie's family had called him. But that wasn't such a surprise they didn't like him much. That didn't explain why Lorna would do this. He didn't think she even knew Stephanie. But if she didn't know Stephanie how did she know she was dead.

"Why do you care about her?" he asked instead of answering her mocking questions.

"She's my sister. You would have known that if you gave a damn about her."

Gibbs thought back to when he was with Stephanie. She had two older brothers and a little sister. He had met her parents and the brothers. The sister he had been told was a wanderer, never staying in one place longer than a few weeks. He had only seen a picture of her but it had been a family photo when she was just a girl.

"You're Lilith?" That was the little sister's name.

"Finally cottoning on. Yes, Lilith Lorna Davis."

"Why do all this. Like I said I haven't been with your sister in almost ten years."

"And like I said, she's been dead for two years. It's taken me this long to get close to you. I wanted you to suffer like I suffered."

"By making me think Tim was losing his mind? Or breaking his valuables?" It all sounded very childish to him.

"That would be stupid of me. No, my plan was the big picture. You and Tim were very predictable. I didn't even need the camera for most of this. You left my sister, you let her be taken in by that lunatic. So now Tim is in the crosshairs of a killer."

"Brandon Stacks is dead. You were just trying to scare Tim, I knew that."

"Yes, that's true but it's not Brandon Stacks who he has to be worried about. Did you know in the age of technology you can find just about anyone? Tailor, baker or a man whose fantasy it is to kill a man, slowly and painfully."

Gibbs heart started beating out of control. This woman was saying that she had some guy after Tim, planning to kill him.

"Where are they?" Gibbs demanded.

"Don't worry, even I can't have a child's death on my hands. My friend was going to dump the kids by the road while he took Tim to his final resting place… well I guess he wouldn't be at rest."

Gibbs acted on instinct then. He wasn't scared of Lorna, not in the least. She had just told him that she is going to have Tim killed by some guy she met online. Within seconds he had Lorna secured and cuffed, Tony was just down the street waiting for his call. After leaving Lorna with Tony he called Tim's phone, it rang but no one answered. Then he called Abby to have her track Tim's phone. He was in his car at his house waiting for Abby to call back when a black and white police car pulled up in front of Tim's house.

Getting out of the car he ran across the neighbors front lawn to get to Tim's house, just as a uniformed officer stepped out of the police car.

"Agent Gibbs?" the officer asked when he saw him.

"Yes," he answered, his blood pressure sky-rocketing.

"Mr. McGee sent us here to check on you."

"Tim. Tim is okay?"

"Yes, he's at our station right now with your children. Would you like to follow us?"

"Does this have anything to do with Lorna? If so she's on her way to Washington with one of my agents."

The cop exchanged a look with his partner but didn't answer any more questions.

* * *

Anna and the twins were laughing with the undercover detective that had been Lorna's internet friend. Tim had been shocked when the man from the grocery store found him at the gas station. When he first rounded the car Tim felt like he was in some kind of Twilight Zone. It was then the man told him who he really was. Detective Adrien Sinclair had been told to bump in to him at the store and start contact. It turned out Lorna had looked online for someone who wanted to kill a human being. She was unlucky enough that she talked to a man that was fishing. The man wasn't a cop but wanted to help people. As soon as she said that she would hand Tim over he called the cops.

Adrien had been a blessing in disguise. After Anna realized he had no interest in Tim but professional she calmed down. All Tim was worried about now was Jethro. They put a B.O.L.O. for Lorna. It was several hours before any of them listened to Tim and went to his house. The cops that went over just radioed in that they were on their way and Jethro was following them.

It was all very anticlimactic. But Tim could use something that didn't blow up. No kidnappings, no assaults, no car wrecks. Now all he had to do was wait for Jethro to get there and go home. He didn't know what he was excited more about. Having Lorna out of his life or Jethro in it.

"Papa, can we go over Mr. Adrien's house? He has twins too but they are my age," Anna said happily. Tim inwardly groaned when he saw his daughter's face, she was totally smitten with Detective Sinclair. She was only nine, crushes weren't supposed to start for a while.

"Tim."

Tim barely had time to raise his from talking to his daughter before he was enveloped into the strong arms of his lover.

"Where's Lorna?" Tim asked.

"Don't worry about that now. She is out of our lives for good. I'm sorry but she ruined some of your and the kids' things." Tim didn't know what she ruined but from Jethro's face he could tell it was bad.

"The kids are fine, I'm fine and you're fine. That's all I ever need."

"And this," Jethro said pulling something out of his pocket. Tim's breath caught. It was the ring that he had thrown back at him. Jethro lifted an eyebrow and looked at Tim. He just nodded to him, Jethro slid the ring on his finger.

"What's that?" Anna's voice broke through his happy fog.

"It's Papa's ring. It means we're going to get married."

"Oh, I already knew that," she huffed and ran back over to Detective Sinclair and the littles.


	44. Chapter 44

**I don't own NCIS or characters.**

**This is the last chapter, sorry its so much shorter but I thought it ended well. I hope you all enjoyed this story and the ending was okay.**

"I hate you!" Tim screamed at Gibbs.

He barely ducked in time to miss the bookend that Tim threw at him, aiming at his head. After a year of marriage, it was over. It was over because Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a dead man. He was going to die a slow and painful death; Tim would make sure of that.

Jethro stood back up and smiled at Tim.

"Are you laughing at me?" Tim growled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Jethro said condescendingly, Tim thought.

"You're loving this aren't you. I'm miserable and you just can't stop smiling."

"I'm sorry, this is our first child born in wedlock."

"This is our only child born in wedlock. You know why? It's because after this you won't have to worry about having the vasectomy redone because I'll do it myself. I can't believe after that horrible woman lied and said she was pregnant that you never went back to be rechecked."

Jethro looked guilty. "I hate doctors, what can I say."

Just as Tim was about to let Jethro know what he could do the nurse came in.

"Okay, gentlemen, it's time to get this on the road."

Tim had been surprised to learn just four months after his wedding that he was pregnant. After the shock wore off he had started to eat right and live his life better. They had just closed on the house of their dreams when he found out about the baby. Anna and Petra were less than thrilled. A.J. and Ronnie were both happy. Jethro had been surprisingly happy about the new addition. Tim had been also but he didn't look forward to the C-section.

He was in a much better place this pregnancy and had been following the doctor's advice to avoid postpartum depression this time around.

That wasn't the only big news. After his leave was over he was being moved to a field team. He was going to be on Henderson's team. Ziva was back on Jethro's and Tim thought her and Tony might be announcing something big in the next few days. Tony had shown him the ring that he was going to use to propose to her.

* * *

"Can I hold her?" A.J. asked.

Jethro had Tony bring the kids to the hospital to visit. Sarah Corinne Gibbs had come into the world screaming, much like her namesake. Her birth was much more different from Ronnie's. He wasn't out of the woods yet but he was optimistically hopeful that he wasn't going to have postpartum this time.

He smiled as he walked Jethro put their newborn in the arms of A.J., who was sitting on one the hospital chairs.

"I'm a good big brother," he said, beaming.

"You are," Jethro agreed.

"I wanna hold," Ronnie chirped in.

Jethro exchanged a look with Tim. They had let the twins hold Ronnie when she was a newborn as long as they were sitting and most of her weight was still on one of their arms.

"Sure," Tim said from the bed.

Jethro picked up Sarah from A.J. lap. "Switch places with A.J," he told Ronnie.

A.J. got down off the chair and Ronnie climbed up in it. He lowered Sarah into Ronnie's waiting arms. He didn't take his arms away but let her hold the baby as much as he could with feeling the baby was secure.

"Good baby," Ronnie cooed at the baby.

"Do you want to hold her, Anna?" Jethro asked nervously. She had been against the new addition right from the start, and she hadn't backed down either. Petra on the other hand seems to be coming around. Tim could see her inching closer to where the baby is.

"No," Anna said stubbornly.

"Why not?" Jethro asked.

"Because, we were fine before she came. I don't know why you wanted to have another baby. Aren't we enough for you?"

"Of course, you're enough. We didn't plan to have Sarah but I couldn't imagine life without her now. Just like I couldn't picture life without you. Or Petra. Or A.J. Or Ronnie. Every last one of you was a surprise but I couldn't picture my life without you," Tim told his daughter honestly.

He saw as Anna seemed to think it over. She scrunched up her face in thought. It reminded him of how his sister does when she is thinking about something she didn't like.

"I'm not happy about it, but I guess we can't change it now. Does Aunt Sarah now you've named the baby after her?"

Tim smiled because he knew his daughter was finally relenting. His family was now complete. He looked over to Sarah in the arms of Ronnie and realized that his family hadn't been complete until now. Maybe, just maybe he wouldn't castrate Jethro where he stands.


End file.
